She's back!
by zouzou816
Summary: Two years ago, she left with their daughter...Now she's back and wants him back. Read and enjoy the journey of Lydia and Kelly as they maneuver through years of sexual tension, flirtatious banter and undeniable desire all for the sake of their little girl. SEVERIDE/OC!
1. Chapter 1

**Hey Everyone! My name is Zouzou816. I am a college student studying pre-med. I love writing fan fiction. I am particularly interested in writing about General Hospital and Chicago Fire. I have written three other stories. **_**General Hospital: The Return of His True Love; Chicago Fire: It's About Time and Gold Mine.**_

**This fanfic in particular is totally Severide centric! **

**Hope you enjoy and please review!**

_Two years ago, she left with their daughter...Now she's back and wants him back. Read and enjoy the journey of Lydia and Kelly as they maneuver through years of sexual tension, flirtatious banter and undeniable desire all for the sake of their little girl. SEVERIDE/OC!_

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_**Chapter 1**_

Her parents died when she was a year old. Her older brother raised her. He looked out for her. He was always there for her, no matter what. Jamie was a firefighter for the Chicago Fire department. He loved his job. He loved helping people.

On one shift, he never came home. He died in a fire. She was out of her mind. Her life changed from that point on. Fortunately she was an adult and she was able to take care of herself. She made it a point to make a future for herself. She finished school and joined the fire academy. After a few years of working as a firefighter she wanted to go to medical school and become a doctor.

For the past two years she has been observing and consulting with a doctor in New York. Now she was back and her first stop was getting her townhouse back in order. Her friend from the hospital and her husband were helping her move back in.

"Thanks for helping me guys. We couldn't have done this without you, huh princess?" she cooed at the little girl in the playpen. The little girl looked up at her mom completely oblivious to the situation. She just went back to playing with her toys. Lydia shook her head and let out a little laugh. She went to set up some pizza for them to have some lunch.

"It's no problem Lyd. I wanted to check out the building anyway" Tommy replied. Lydia looked at him from over her shoulder, "Tommy, you do know my brother was a boxer. I know how to defend myself" she teased. "Ha ha! That doesn't mean that I can't look out for you" he replied.

Once Jamie died, her friends really rallied around her. She was in a steady relationship and she had tons of friends so she was supported and loved. The guys in her life became a little extra over protective of her. That only worsened when she got married and had a baby.

"How do you put up with him?" Lena asked.

Lydia let out a laugh and put her arm around his shoulder, "he's not that bad once you get used to him. Besides this is nothing compared to when we were younger" she teased. They just started cracking up.

They had a good productive afternoon. She was all moved in when Tommy left. Lena stayed to help Lydia put the finishing touches on the house. Lydia was sitting at the island in the kitchen feeding Andi her lunch. She was just starting to eat solid baby food. She was having some green beans and squash for lunch and mashed apple for desert.

"So are you happy to be back?" Lena asked.

Lydia looked up at her friend and smiled, "yeah absolutely! This is home" she replied smiling at her. They both knew what she was avoiding. She was kind of hoping that Lena wouldn't bring it up, but knowing her best friend, she knew she would.

"Are you coming to the firehouse barbeque?" Lena asked. She is a paramedic at Firehouse 32. "I think so. Chief Boden called me the other day to invite me. Do you think it will be awkward?" she asked as she started cleaning up Andi's face. She moved to put her back in her playpen so she could play some more before her nap. She needed some girl time.

She started the coffee and poured some for Lena and herself. They got comfortable on the island and had their coffee while talking. "You mean with Kelly?" she clarified. When Lydia nodded, she let out a breath and thought about it.

"No, I don't think so. You've been part of this family for a long time. You deserve to be there. You are on Squad 3, one of the only women to make it on Squad. You are Kelly Severide's daughter's mother. You are a part of his life and you deserve to be at the family picnic" she said.

Before she left, Lena helped Lydia pick out a cute outfit for her to wear for the picnic and talked some more about what was going to happen. Lydia was kind of nervous to go. She needed to find her ground again with the guys. She would be working with the guys at Firehouse 51 and she wanted some common ground.

Lena suggested that she make some sweets and desserts and bring them to the barbeque for the guys. They always loved her cooking in the past when she used to bring Jamie some lunch or dinner. Lena had to go back to the firehouse for her shift.

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The next day Lydia was very busy. She had to get Andi registered in the daycare at the hospital and she had to meet with the Chief of Staff and get herself settled into the hospital. She was already scheduled for surgery with patients.

She woke up 2 hours earlier than she had too, just to get everything ready. She went to get her daughter, who was already awake. She was playing with her toys and just stared at her mom. Lydia walked in with her shorts and Squad tank top. "Hi munchkin! Did you have a good night?" she asked as she picked her up and carried her out.

She carried her downstairs, "so let's get some breakfast" she put her in her highchair in the kitchen and put a bib on her. She pulled out some jars from the cabinet and fed Andi some breakfast first. Once Andi was settled, she was put back in the playpen. Lydia was running around the townhouse like a chicken with her head cut off.

She got her duffle bag with her clothes, her paperwork, and Andi's diaper bag. She put everything on the island and got everything together. She had to grab her grocery list off the fridge. She wanted to make some desserts for them.

They made it out of the house with an hour to spare. Once Lydia got to the hospital, she stopped at the daycare first. "Excuse me, I'm looking for Nurse Brooks" Lydia said at the door of daycare. It looked really cute. The lady turned around and smiled, "I'm Emily Brooks. Are you Dr. Mackenzie?" she asked.

Lydia smiled and shifted Andi so she could shake the nurse's hand. "Hi, I'm Lydia Mackenzie. It's really nice to meet you. I am going to be starting back here at the hospital and they didn't have this the last time I was here" she explained.

Emily Brooks led her in and offered her a chair. She put her bags down and put Andi on her lap. The little girl was looking around at everything. She wanted to crawl all over. She just started crawling all over the apartment so she put up gates everywhere.

"Well, since you are here at the hospital, you can stop in anytime. She will be here the whole time. We have lunch, breakfast, and dinner. We have nap time and all that. She will have fun, we have tons of kids. The only thing we ask is a list of accepted visitors, medications, medical illness, any special requests and an emergency contact besides you" the nurse informed giving all the forms to fill out.

Lydia filled them all out as Andi got acquainted with her surroundings. She was enjoying the toys and the room to crawl around. "I want to mention right now that I am also a firefighter and so is her father. Our whole family comes from Firehouse 51. I will have a list for you but I want her dad and her god-parents listed as emergency contacts. I will get you the numbers by Monday" she said before packing everything in her purse.

She knelt down and gave Andi a big hug and kiss. "I love you princess. Mommy's going to work. I will back to pick you up" she said before leaving.

Next she met up with her old friend, Chief of Staff, Dr. Derek Sheppard. The hospital was full of all her old friends. She had familiar faces to help her out, if she needed it. Derek was showing her around and getting her set up at the hospital.

"So this is your office" Derek said opening the door. Lydia froze and looked into the fairly large office that was just around the corner of the ER and right across from Derek's office. She looked at the huge window that covered the back wall and smiled.

"I get an office?" she asked.

"Of course you do. Come on Lyd, you are one of the family. Besides, we all know that you come highly recommended" he said smiling. Lydia looked up at him and smiled at him. She wrapped her arms around his neck in a hug. She was super excited to get started.

"This is great! Thanks Derek. I can't wait to get started!" she said. She was super happy to be back home. With the easy transition back into the hospital, she was starting to relax for the transition into the firehouse.

"Well, get settled in, I'll have a nurse bring over IDs and stuff" he said nodding. She smiled and gave Derek a hug and kissed his cheek, "thanks Derek" she said.

"No problem Lydia. I'm glad you are back. I'll see you around" he smiled and gave her another hug before he turned around and left. Lydia walked in and sat her purse down on the desk. She eased around slowly and sat down in the large spinning chair. Her phone rang and she was startled.

"Hello?" she answered.

"Hey, I just wanted to check on you. How's your shift been?" Lena asked.

Lydia smiled and sat back in her office, happy. She really had the best friends ever! "It was good. I dropped Andi off at daycare and then Derek showed me around. You should see my office. I think I am going to spend Sunday here unpacking and getting settled" she replied.

Lena smiled at how excited she sounded, "Good. I am glad you are enjoying yourself. Do you want to come over for dinner tonight?" she asked.

Lydia let out a breath and shook her head, "I would love to but I am super busy. I have to fill out all the paperwork for the hospital. I am going to make you, Tommy, Matt, Gabby and Shay the emergency contacts with me and Kelly for the daycare. Then I have to go grocery shopping for the firehouse barbeque because I want to make some desserts" she informed.

Lena nodded and was about to reply when the alarm went off. They had a call. "I have to go on a call. Let me know if you need my help" she said.

"Bye, be safe" Lydia said before hanging up.

Derek had asked Lydia to consult with him on a few of his patients and wanted her to consult on some surgeries. By the time she had looked at the chart and learned the patient's history, it was time for surgery. The patient was a 16 year old girl. She was having a craniotomy due to a brain bleed.

Lydia scrubbed up with Derek and walked into the OR. The girl was just getting put under anesthesia. "Hi Amy, I am Lydia Mackenzie. I am going to help Dr. Sheppard with your surgery. Dr. Anthony is going to give you some medicine so you can take a nice nap. When you wake up, you will feel so much better" she said as they put the teenager to sleep.

The surgery over all took 6-7 hours. The surgery was a perfect success. They got Amy up to recovery and gave the nurse the new rules and update her chart. They talked to Amy's family and friends and were so exhausted.

Lydia changed out of her scrubs, grabbed her bags before she made her way down to the daycare. She smiled when she saw Andi sitting in a little girls lap listening to a story. She walked in and took the little girl. "Hi princess! How was your day?" she asked the little girl.

"She did great! She even made a friend in Rita" Emily informed.

Lydia was happy to hear that. They said their goodbyes and made their way out of the hospital. They had a busy night ahead of them.  
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At the firehouse, Kelly was anxious all day. Everyone seemed to notice because he was tense and just not in a good mood. No one wanted to confront the lieutenant so no one said anything. He grabbed some food and walked up to his office. He needed to be alone.

Matt followed his friend curious. He knew why Kelly was acting this way. He missed her. When Matt got up to the office quarters, Kelly was pacing in front of his bed. Matt just leaned against the doorway amused.

"You are going to wear a path in the floor" he said.

Kelly turned to glare at Matt. "She was supposed to call when they got back to the apartment. I haven't talked to her in days" he ran his hands through his hair.

Matt came in and sat at the desk. "Maybe she's busy at work. I mean doesn't her flight leave on Monday? She's probably trying to pack and get everything ready" Matt replied. He was trying to reassure his friend that everything would be okay.

"I miss her Matt. I haven't physically seen my little girl in a month. She's probably so big now" he got really sad. He wanted to see his little girl. He missed her so much.

"Why don't you call her and talk to her" he said.

Kelly nodded, "yeah, that's a good idea" he pulled out his phone and searched his contacts for the one he was looking for.

RING! RING! RING!

When Lydia got home she put Andi in the playpen and put her groceries on the island in the kitchen. She went to change into a pair of shorts and a tank-top before getting down to business.

She made dinner first for her and for Andi. Once during dinner, she filled out all the necessary paperwork for the hospital and the daycare. She wanted everything to be in order by Monday.

She finished dinner and packed away all the groceries. She took out everything she needed to make the cupcakes and desserts. She was just about to get started when the phone rang.

RING! RING!

"Hello?" she answered.

Kelly gasped when she answered. "Hey Lydia, it's me Kelly" he said awkwardly. She smiled and put the phone between her cheek and her shoulder to hold it so she could use her hands to move around.

"Hi Kelly, what's up? How was shift?" she asked.

He smiled and could already feel relaxed. He sat at the edge of his bed and leaned to rest his elbows on his thighs. "Work is good. We had a good shift today. A lot of Squad 3 calls so we've been busy. How are you and Andi?" he asked.

She could tell that he missed her. "She's doing good. We just got home" she said as she pulled out the ingredients. She started putting things together and getting this all set.

"Good, she's doing okay? I miss her so much Lyd. What's the plan for Monday? When do you guys land?" he asked. He wanted to be there for her when she landed. He wanted to help her get settled.

She went to pull up a pan but couldn't reach everything, so it came falling to the floor, "dammit! Uh, we are coming on Monday night. We should be there by 7pm. Are you going to pick us up from the airport?" she asked.

He smiled and couldn't help but let out a little laugh, "what are you doing? Yeah I plan to be there to pick you guys up" he replied.

"Okay good. I am trying to make some cupcakes for a party we are going to, but I can't reach any of the pans and things keep falling" she complained.

He just laughed, "yeah well you always did have a tough time in the kitchen. You used to get it though after a while" he teased.

"HAHA, very funny. I am a better cook than I am a baker. I gotta go and try to do this. I'll talk to you later" she said before they said their goodbyes and hung up. He had no idea how good his Saturday was about to become!

**I hope you all enjoyed that little preview! Please Review and let me know what you like/don't like/want to see!**

**Thanks for reading!**

**Zouzou816**


	2. Chapter 2

**Hey everyone! Thanks to all who read and liked my story. Please Review when you can!**

**So just for clarification: **

**Kelly and Lydia used to be married but they got divorced when they were younger. He wanted on Squad so bad that he spent all his time focusing on that and they realized that they wanted different things. She wanted medical school and he wanted Squad. They couldn't do both.**

**Lydia's brother Jamie worked in Firehouse 51 when Kelly and Matt were candidates. He died when they were working there. Kelly and Lydia were still married.**

**They split before she knew she was pregnant. When she found out, she told Kelly. She thought he had a right to know.**

**Andi is 6 months old. Kelly has been to visit his girls when he could. **

**Both Lydia and Kelly remain friends and grew up with each other.**

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_**Previously….**_

"HAHA, very funny. I am a better cook than I am a baker. I gotta go and try to do this. I'll talk to you later" she said before they said their goodbyes and hung up. He had no idea how good his Saturday was about to become!

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**Chapter 2**

The next morning, Kelly woke up with a smile on his face. He was a day closer to seeing his little girl. He had to just get through the Firehouse picnic. He told Lydia he would try to have fun, so he would give it his all.

He promised the Chief he would help grill the food, so he showered, changed and left.

Lydia woke up at 11am. She got out of bed and walked into the bathroom to wash her face and brush her teeth. She looked up the weather and it was supposed to be hot, so she dressed for the occasion. She changed into some beige shorts, a layered green and beige tank with blank sandals. She curled her hair and decided to leave it down.

She made her way to Andi's room to get her ready for the barbeque. Andi was up and playing with her toys in her crib. She looked up and smiled when she saw her mom. Lydia smiled and shook her head. She was just like her father it was scary. She picked her up and got her ready to go.

She got her bag ready with some toys, food, and extra clothes or whatever else she would need for the day. She even got out the playground pen out of the closet so she would have somewhere to play at the park. Since it was the firehouse barbeque, she decided to dress Andi according to theme.

She put her in a jean ruffled skirt/shorts, some red aviator sandals and a t-shirt that she bought to surprise Kelly. Once Andi was ready, she carried her and her diaper bag downstairs. She got all their stuff and packed up the car. Once she put all the food and the baby stuff in the car, she grabbed Andi from her playpen.

"Ready to go Princess? We are going to surprise daddy" she said.

She smiled at the light in the little girls eyes. She missed her daddy. "Yes, we will be seeing daddy very soon. I promise" Lydia said.

Lydia grabbed some last minute stuff before leaving. It only took her 20 minutes to make it to the park. She could see everyone running around having a good time. The kids were playing while the adults were watching or talking with one another.

Matt walked over to the grill where Kelly was cooking. He had some things to talk about. "Kelly did you talk to Lydia? How is she and Andi? You seem better today" Matt asked. Matt was one of their best friends. They all grew up together. Matt loved her and Andi. When her brother died, he became slightly protective over her.

"Yeah I talked to her for a little bit. She's good. She was busy packing and getting Andi ready for the trip. She was baking when I called. They are going to a party today" he replied. He was happier that he knew he was seeing his little girl in 24 hours.

Matt smiled and patted Kelly's back. He was doing the right thing. "That was honorable of you Kelly. I don't know how I would have done it with my daughter away from me for that long. You did the right thing letting her follow her dreams" Matt said.

Kelly closed the grill and turned to look at Matt. "It was my fault Matt. I was so obsessed with making Squad that I forgot I was a husband and a father. I had to do what was best for my wife and my daughter. She was so happy in New York Matt. She loved it, she was perfect for the job," he replied.

Lena walked over to the guys, "hey boys" she greeted her best friends with a kiss on the cheek. "Hey Lena, what's up? You having fun?" Kelly asked. She smiled up at him and took a chug of her beer, "yeah it's not bad. I miss my girl though" she replied referring to Lydia.

Kelly and Matt nodded in agreement. "Yeah I know. I talked to her the other day and she is planning on coming back on Monday. She's done with her rotation. She's got a job at Lakeshore" he informed.

Lena nodded and smiled when she saw the familiar car pull up. She knew Lydia was in town and that she was coming today to the picnic.

Andi had fallen asleep on the way. After she parked, she got out of the car and let out a big nervous breath. Tommy came up to help her. He kissed her cheek, "Hey Lyd, you ready?" he asked. She smiled, "Hey Tommy, yeah. I think so. Can you grab the stroller out of the trunk?" she replied as she grabbed Andi out of the carrier and put her in the stroller and put down the hood to keep the sun out of her face.

Tommy grabbed the dishes from the back and walked over with her. There were about 6 different desserts, so she just put them in a cooler. She pushed the stroller all the way over to Kelly. He just stopped and stared at her. He couldn't believe his eyes.

"Lydia?" he asked.

She smiled up at him. "Hey Severide, surprise" she announced. Everyone around them laughed and smiled. They were happy she was back.

He laughed and bent forward to wrap her in his arms. He held her for dear life. He didn't want to let her go. She wrapped her arms around his neck and nuzzled deeper into him. He was her safety net. She felt so safe in his arms, like nothing could go wrong.

She pulled away and kissed his cheek. "We wanted to surprise you but Andi fell asleep on the way here" she informed. He leaned down and opened the stroller hood. He smiled at his daughter and reached out to caress her cheek. He just wanted some type contact with his little girl.

He bent forward and kissed the top of her head before putting the hood back down. "Come on, let's move her out of the sun" he wheeled the stroller under a nearby tree. Tommy put the dishes down on the table. The firefighters dug in as soon as they put the dishes down.

Hermann gave Casey a nudge, "they make a cute family don't you think?" he teased. The guys smiled at them. "Maybe they'll get it right this time" Shay started. All the other guys nodded in agreement. They didn't know Andi personally, but they knew her through Kelly and through Skype.

"Glad you could join us Lydia. We missed you around here" Chief Boden commented. He came over and shook her hand. She smiled and returned the hand shake. He peaked into the stroller and smiled at the little girl. "She's beautiful" he informed. She smiled, "thank you" she replied.

She joined everyone on the picnic table. She recognized most of the faces, only a few stood out. "Lydia, this is Hallie Thomas. She's Casey's fiancé" Kelly introduced. Lydia looked over and smiled at Matt. She hit him over the shoulder. "Matty, why didn't you tell me you were engaged?" she teased as she got up and wrapped him in a hug.

He smiled, "you had enough to worry about. You were a new mom for crying out loud" he replied. She waved it off and went to congratulate Hallie. "Hi, I'm Lydia. Congratulations on the engagement. That's great. You got a real catch in Matty" Lydia said.

"Thank you. Are you a firefighter too?" Hallie asked.

"Kind of. I am a doctor and am trained on Squad, so I will be working at Lakeshore and at the firehouse. So I'll be splitting my time between the two. What about you?" she replied.

"I am a resident in the ER at Lakeshore, so we'll be seeing a lot of each other" Hallie said.

Lydia smiled, "good. We'll be getting to know each other then" she replied.

They were having a really good time. Shay and Gabby were filling Lydia in on the gossip. She also told Lydia about Hallie and she talked about her relationship or lack thereof with Casey. Lydia could barely hold in her excitement. She was happy for her friend. Hallie didn't seem like the right fit. There was something off about her.

It was fun to catch up with everyone again. About an hour after she got there, one of the Hermann's kids ran over and patted her leg. "Aunt Lydi," he got her attention. She turned around and leant down to his level. "Hey Max, what's up little man?" she asked.

He pointed over his shoulder to the stroller, "Andi's awake" he squealed. She smiled at his excitement. "Well let's go get her" she got up and made her way over to the stroller. Sure enough, the little girl was up and looking around at all the kids who gathered around. Lydia smiled down at her daughter. "Hi princess, did you have a good nap?" she asked as she took her out of the stroller.

Severide was talking to the new secretary Nikki when he noticed everyone gathered around Lydia. He noticed her holding Andi so he smiled. His little girl was awake. He excused himself from Nikki and made his way over.

Andi was still adjusting to everyone so Lydia walked around the park, bouncing her up and down a little to calm her down. Kelly came over and smiled at the two. He just stared at Andi. "Can I take her?" he asked.

Lydia smiled and nodded, "of course" she transferred Andi into Kelly's arms slowly. "Careful, easy does it. Support her back" she said. Andi rested her head in the crook of his neck. Once she was fully awake, he pulled her back a little so he could see her. "Hi Angel, its daddy. You are back here and I am going to be there for you all the time now. We are going to have so much fun. We are going to play and go to the park and everything. I am going to give you anything you want. I promise I am never going to leave you again my little angel" he kissed her forehead.

Lydia couldn't help but let a few tears fall. She wiped her tears and walked over to the stroller to pull out the diaper bag. He walked around with her in his arms, "did you have a good nap? Mommy said you were excited to see me today. Well I am just as excited to see you" he said.

They were in their own little world. Whenever he would come visit, whenever he would hold her, she gave him her utmost attention. They were always in their own little world with each other. She was never calm as ever as she was when she was with her dad.

Lydia just smiled at them and noticed how the others were watching with smiles. She just shook her head and wiped her tears. She pulled out some baby food and went to heat it up. Once the food was ready, she set the silverware and the bib on the table. "Okay, come on you two, it's time to eat" she directed them to the table.

Kelly sat at the table and put Andi in her stroller. Lydia came over and knelt in front of Kelly. "It's time to show your daddy his surprise" she said as she started taking off Andi's sweatshirt. When she got it off, Kelly looked her over and smiled. His eyes beamed with pride and joy.

He pulled her out of the stroller and held her close. He kissed her forehead and smiled at the little girl. The guys all came over to see what the fuss was all about. Lydia wanted to surprise him, so she came up with all this all on her own. She bought a red t-shirt and sewed and 'Property of Squad 3' patch on the front, 'Severide' along the back bottom with 'Lieutenant' on the top. In the middle, was the Squad 3 shield.

Casey was the first to read over the shirt and smiled as he looked it over. "Oh God, she looks just like Severide" Mouch teased. Casey smiled and let out a little laugh. The rest of the guys really enjoyed Andi's new shirt. They just chuckled and looked it over. "Don't you forget it" Severide teased, "She's my little angel. Always has been and always will be" he replied.

Casey chuckled and shook his head at the t-shirt. He was laughing at how excited Kelly was about it. He looked like a kid in a candy store. He was really happy to have her back. "Really Lyd? A squad shirt?" Casey asked.

Lydia put her hands up in surrender, "What can I say? She's the ultimate daddy's girl. She has Kelly wrapped around her finger. Besides both her parents are on Squad. She's got to represent" she teased. After fawning all over the t-shirt, they all got something to eat. The kids each wanted to 'help' feed Andi so she ate all her food. It was a nice change from having to do it all by herself.

After a few more hours of having fun, it was time for them to go. "Alright guys, it was really fun catching up with you all. Andi and I have to get going. Chief, I will be buy tomorrow to fill out the paperwork for my coming back to shift" she said as she put her sweatshirt back on. Kelly said he wanted to help her, so he carried Andi the whole time.

"No problem, just stop by whenever you get a chance. Feel free to bring the little one as well" he replied.

They all adored Andi. She was loved and cared for by each one of the firefighters at Firehouse 51. They spoiled her rotten. When Lydia gave birth, they sent flowers, balloons, teddy bears...the works. Her whole hospital room was full of baby gifts from the guys. They were really excited for Andi to be born, and now to spend some time with her.

Lydia gathered all their stuff and packed everything up. She put everything in the car and left the food for the guys to take back to the firehouse. She packed everything in the car and turned to let Kelly buckle Andi up in her car seat. Lydia said good bye to everyone and hopped in the jeep. "I'll follow you home" he said.

"I have to stop at Walmart and get some stuff to baby proof the house. I was going to get started on it tonight while she's sleeping. She's already showing signs of crawling early. I want to be ready. We should get stuff for your apartment too" she said.

"Okay, I'll follow you to Walmart" he replied before getting in his car and following her out of the parking lot. The whole time while she was driving, she kept looking in the rearview mirror. She noticed Kelly following close behind her and smiled. She missed it. She loved it. He was being protective of her.

They pulled into Walmart and parked side by side. Lydia got out and got Andi out while Kelly grabbed the diaper bag. He didn't want to put her in the stroller. "I'll carry her" he said. She didn't say anything, she knew they needed time together so she just nodded. She put the diaper bag in the wagon and walked in with Kelly and Andi at her side.

To anyone they looked like the perfect family. No one would ever guess the complicated mess their lives were. They just looked like a normal couple with their daughter on a shopping trip. Lydia couldn't help but hope that they could be that again some day.

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**Thanks for reading!**

**Please Review and let me know what you think!**


	3. Chapter 3

**Hi everyone! Thanks to everyone who read and took interest in my story! Your interest keeps me writing!**

**Please review and let me know what you are liking so I can keep it up!**

**One of the reviews was a question about who Andi was named after. She is named after Andy Darden who died. Since Lydia grew up with Matt and Kelly, she also knew Andy. She was still in town when he died.**

**I have skipped some of the drama of season 1 regarding Severide and Casey. **

**Please Review and Enjoy!**

_**Previously…**_

To anyone they looked like the perfect family. No one would ever guess the complicated mess their lives were. They just looked like a normal couple with their daughter on a shopping trip. Lydia couldn't help but hope that they could be that again some day.

**Chapter 3-Family**

The Severide family walked into Walmart side by side. They had to buy double of everything, so they could do Lydia's townhouse and Kelly's apartment. Once they walked in, Kelly held Andi, saying that he missed her. He missed spending time with her. He also didn't want to put her in those grimy, germ-infested baby seats.

Lydia wheeled the cart into the baby isle. "Okay, so I looked up online what we would need and then I confirmed it with some friends from the hospital, let me tell you it's a lot of stuff" Lydia said as she pulled out the list from her purse.

Kelly took it from her and read it over, "gates, outlet plugs, safety latches, cabinet/toilet locks, doorknob covers, corner/edge bumpers, window cord loops…God, what else is there?" he asked. Lydia chuckled and started putting things in the wagon that they needed. "She's a baby Kelly. Just wait, your house is going to look like a zoo. I still have to unpack things and set up her baby stuff" she teased, "besides, she's going to get into everything when she starts to crawl. We have to keep up with her. She already started scooting and reaching out to grab things; soon she is going to be crawling and walking" she said.

Kelly snuggled closer to Andi and squeezed her close. He rubbed her back up and down and kissed the top of her head. Lydia glanced at them and smiled at the look of pure enjoyment and happiness on his face. "I don't want to think about that yet. After she starts walking, then she is going to go to school and boys are going to be asking her out and then I am going to have to put her in a nunnery and hurt them" he realized all at once. It was like it hit him. He saw the next 30 years flash before his eyes.

Lydia stopped the cart and looked at him with a raised eyebrow. "Kelly, you do realize that she is only 6 months old. We still have a long way to go before she starts dating" Lydia informed as she continued to make her way through the isle. "Never too early to prepare her" he replied. Lydia smiled and shook her head.

Lydia continued to gather what they needed. She was finding everything in the isle and tried to get the double sets matching. After a few minutes went by, Kelly got restless. "Do you have everything you need yet?" he asked. Lydia smiled and couldn't help but shake her head. "No, not yet" she walked up to them and rubbed Andi's back while smiling at her daughter. "Why don't you and daddy go down the toy isle so you can keep him busy while mommy finishes her shopping" she teased.

"Haha, very funny; come on Andi, let's go have some fun. We will let mommy deal with all the boring stuff" he said before making his way to the toy isle. Lydia just watched as Kelly talked with Andi like she could actually understand what he was saying. She was making her normal noises and responding to her dad the best she could.

Lydia went through the isle and got all the stuff she had on her list. She bought double of everything and tried to get everything that matched so it was the same at both houses. After getting the supplies, she moved onto the clothes and got Andi some cute things for the fall. It was starting to get colder out, so they started wearing long sleeves. "Excuse me," this pregnant women walked up to Lydia and got her attention.

"Hi can I help you?" Lydia asked.

"Sorry to just walk up to you. I have been looking for those gates for 20 minutes. Where did you find them?" she asked. Lydia smiled and chuckled, "don't worry I understand. They are in isle 4. When are you due?" Lydia replied. "In one month, what about you? Where's your little one?" the woman asked. As if on cue, Kelly came out of the isle with Andi in his arms and bright eyes, "Lyd, they have pink fire trucks and squad toys" he announced before disappearing back into the isle. Lydia just smiled and shook her head, "that would be mine" she told the woman.

The girl smiled, "your daughter is beautiful. I hope you don't mind me saying so, but your husband is pretty easy on the eyes" the girl teased. Lydia laughed, "Oh, I don't mind. He's good looking and he knows it. Good luck with your baby" she said before the girl smiled, "you too" she replied before walking away. Lydia smiled after her, she was really sweet.

She didn't even realize that she didn't correct the girl when she called Kelly her husband. It just sounded so natural to hear, the thought to correct her didn't even cross her mind. She turned just in time to see Kelly walk up to the cart and put in some plush rescue trucks and other firefighter related toys. "You should see how many toys they have for firefighters" he said with a big smile. She just shook her head and went to pay.

Once they got all their stuff, they put Andi in her car seat and made their way to Lydia's apartment. Kelly spent two hours setting everything up. He put up the gates, latches, corner covers, outlet plugs and everything. Once he was done, he walked into the kitchen with Andi and put her in her highchair. "So what's for dinner?" he asked. It was totally domestic. He loved it.

"Well, I made some pasta with broccoli and chicken this morning. Why don't you heat it up while I make a salad and I'll get Andi's jars out?" she asked. He nodded and got up to put the pan in the oven. Lydia pulled out some jars for Andi and got her dinner ready. She put them over the stove and warmed them up. Once they were ready, she pulled out a bib and a baby spoon. She handed them over to Kelly, "I'll be right back. I am going to go change into some sweats" she said before running upstairs real quick.

She got in the shower to clean off after the barbeque. She changed into a pair of sweats and a Squad 3 tank-top. She wanted to be comfortable. She knew this was going to be an emotional night with Kelly. She knew he had a lot of questions. She walked back downstairs and smiled when she saw Kelly sitting in front of Andi's highchair giving her dinner. She couldn't help but start to get emotional thinking about all the times he missed out on this. He looked over and smiled at her. "She ate it all, but she's kind of messy" he joked. She smiled and made her way over.

She took her bib off and tried to wipe her face. It was no use, there was food all over her. "Well little missy, it looks like you need a bath tonight" she said. Lydia wiped the little girl down the best she could until her bath. She put her in her playpen to play for a little while Kelly and Lydia ate dinner. She put a plate of pasta for Kelly and made some salad. They sat and ate together at the island.

"Did you have fun today?" she asked.

He smiled at her, "yeah, your surprise only made it better. I missed you guys so much. It was the perfect surprise. I am never going to forget it. You're back for good right?" he asked.

She smiled and nodded, "yeah I am back for good. I already started at Lakeshore. We are here for good Kelly. I just wanted to thank you for letting me go all those years ago" she said.

He smiled and nodded, "it was hard, but I knew that I had to let you go. I wasn't good to you Lyd. I wanted Squad so bad that it made me obsessed. I didn't even realize the impact until I made Squad and couldn't come home and share it with you" he apologized.

Lydia looked down to hide her tears. She smiled up at Kelly with tears rolling down her cheeks. "Kelly, even though we aren't together, I am always going to be happy for you. I will always love you and be there for you. There is nothing I wouldn't do for you and I want you to know that" she said.

He smiled and reached over to kiss her cheek, "dido" he replied. She let out a little laugh and gave him a playful shove. She cleared the table and took Andi to give her a bath. She loved the water. She was like a little fish. After her bath Lydia changed her into her pajamas so she could relax. Now Andi was lounging in an onezie, drinking her milk while nestled in her daddy's arms. They were watching football while Lydia cleaned up the kitchen and put the food away. She put them all in top-a-ware and started to put them away. She had to get ready for the next day.

Kelly looked down and smiled at the sleeping baby in his arms. "Lyd, she fell asleep" he said. She made her way over and leaned down to take her daughter. "I'll take her upstairs, then I'll make us some coffee and we can fill out the paperwork" she said before quietly making his way to the nursery upstairs. She laid Andi down in the crib and kissed her forehead. "Sweet dreams princess" she said quietly before making her way down.

When she got to the bottom of the stairs, she smiled at the scene before her. Kelly was asleep on the couch. He was lying across the couch with the remote on his chest and the TV on. She smiled and couldn't help but laugh. She silently walked over and took the remote to turn off the TV. Then she grabbed a throw blanket off the back of the couch and covered him with it.

She got started on the paperwork and got them done relatively quickly. She filled out all the important names and numbers. She had to assign emergency contacts for herself and for Andi in case something happened to her and Kelly. She made Matt Casey, Gabby and Shay the emergency contacts. They knew her the best and she trusted them to take care of her daughter.

Once everything was done, she put them all her in her medical bag. She walked over and made her way to the front of the couch. Lydia knew Severide would want to leave because he wouldn't want to pressure her, but she couldn't let him leave. _He was tired and that's not safe on the road _she thought to herself. She knelt beside his face on the couch. She smiled at how peaceful he looked.

She ran her fingers through his hair until he stirred. He groaned and his eyes fluttered open. He looked at her through sleepy eyes and tried to focus. "Lydia?" he asked as he stretched. He lost his bearings for a second and was surprised she was there. She smiled and continued to run her fingers through his hair, "hey you fell asleep" she said.

"What time is it?" he asked.

She reached over and looked at the clock on the table, "it's about 11pm. You've been asleep for almost a couple hours. I figured you'd be more comfortable upstairs" she said. He nodded and leaned against the couch. He leaned his elbows on his knees and held his head in his hands, "are you sure Lyd? I don't want to pressure you or something. I know we just cleared the air" he replied.

She smiled and got up and held out her hand, "if you think I am going to let you leave when you are half asleep you are crazy" she said. He chuckled and nodded and took her hand. She led him upstairs and followed her to bed. He stripped down to his boxers. Lydia took off her sweats and slipped on an old Squad shirt that came down about mid-thigh.

She wrapped her arms around his chest and laid her head on his shoulder. He kissed the top of her head and held her closer to him. She smiled and nuzzled closer to him. She had to admit it felt really good to be in his arms again. She missed it. She fell asleep almost instantly. She had the best night sleep of her life.

The next morning, Kelly woke up first. It took him a minute to regain his composure. He looked down and smiled at the sight. Lydia was fast asleep on his chest with her arms wrapped around him. He kissed her forehead and quietly got out of bed. He carefully untangled himself from Lydia. He put his clothes back on and turned to kiss Lydia's forehead. Lydia sighed and stirred. "Kelly, what's going on?" she asked. He sat next to her on the edge of the bed.

"Hey go back to sleep. I have to get to work. It's still early, I want to stop at home and grab a change of clothes first" he said. She smiled and nodded. She knew it was because he didn't want the extra drama at work. She reached for his wrist and groaned. It was only 6am. She snuggled back into her bed and wrapped up in her pillows. "Okay, I'll meet you there. Tell Chief Boden I'll be in later. I start my shift today. Be careful driving your still tired" she said.

"Okay, don't worry about me. I'll be fine Lyd. I'll see you later" he kissed her forehead and made his way out of her room. He stopped in the nursery and quietly made his way over to the bed. He moved some hair off Andi's face and leant forward to kiss her forehead. "Have a good morning angel. I'll see you later after work" he kissed her one more time before leaving.

He went home to change first and grab a change of clothes for later. He was going to Lydia's and they had to work the next day. He didn't want to hear it from the guys when he walked into the station with the same clothes on as the night before. They were already hyped up enough. They didn't need any more ammunition. Once he had everything he needed, he made his way to the station.

He walked in with no problems. No drama. "Morning Lieutenant" they all greeted. He nodded at them and made his way to the locker room. He changed into his uniform and joined everyone else in the kitchen.

"The barbeque was fun" Matt said.

He was trying to prompt Kelly into divulging a little information about his night. He knew he spent the night with Lydia. Shay told everyone he didn't come home last night.

"Yeah it was great having Lydia back. I'm excited to be working with her again" Gabby added. She knew Matt's agenda and wanted the scoop.

Kelly didn't say anything. He just nodded at them before disappearing to the Squad table with his coffee. Shay wasn't one to give up though. Neither were Matt or Gabby.

"So, we all know you didn't sleep at home last night so tell us. How was family time?" Shay asked.

Kelly put down his coffee and couldn't keep the smile off his face. "It felt nice. For the first time in a long time it felt normal. We had dinner and I hung out with my daughter" he said. He looked happy. Shay rubbed his back, "that's what it's like to hang out with your family" she replied. He smiled at her and nodded.

Lydia woke up and got herself together. She packed her bag and got Andi's bag ready. She was out of the house within 30 minutes. A big improvement from the last time. Her first stop was daycare at the hospital. She dropped Andi off and gave Emily all the paperwork. She had everything she needed to get Andi settled in the daycare.

She made her way to the station in 20 minutes. She parked out front behind Severide's Chevy and got out. She grabbed her bag from the backseat and walked up the driveway into the station. She was greeted with hugs and kisses almost instantly.

"Lydia!"

"Guys, Lydia's here!"

She heard as she walked in. She dropped off her stuff at the Squad table and greeted everyone with hugs. "So you are here for good right?" Hermann asked. She smiled and nodded, "yeah I am here for good. I am coordinating with the hospital. So as of right now I am a floater. I'm there when you need me" she explained.

"We are glad you are here Lydia. At least Severide will be more enjoyable to work with" Matt teased. Kelly glared and playfully shoved him a little, "hey, I am not that bad" he defended himself. The guys just laughed and nodded. 'Uh huh' they thought to themselves.

After getting Chief Boden all her paperwork and got herself a locker. She didn't have her Squad training for the month, so she had to stay with Truck 81. She hoped that Severide took it okay. He was slightly possessive.

"So you all set with Chief Boden?" Matt asked when she walked back out into the common room. She stood between Matt and Kelly and nodded. "Yeah I am all set to go" she replied.

"Good. So are you with me or Severide today?" Matt asked.

Kelly smirked at the two of them. He was anxiously awaiting Lydia's answer. "Well considering that I still have to take my training quals for Squad this month and do my retraining, I guess I am with Matt today, but I'll be around if you need my help Severide" she said.

He glared and narrowed his eyes at her. She was playing with him. Matt put his arm around her shoulder and led her toward the truck. She went to change and get into her uniform. She made herself comfortable in the kitchen. She felt at home. It's been a long time.

Kelly came over and leaned against the counter. He just watched her move around the kitchen. She looked up at him expectantly. "Can I help you?" she asked. He crossed his arms across his chest and just glared at her. "You are with Matt today? Really Lydia?" he asked.

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**Thanks for reading!**

**Please review and enjoy!**


	4. Chapter 4

**Hey Everyone! Thank you for all reading and taking interest in my story.**

**Here is the next chapter. You will see more of the Kelly/Lydia relationship develop and more of the history behind it in this chapter.**

**Enjoy and please review!**

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_**Previously…**_

Kelly came over and leaned against the counter. He just watched her move around the kitchen. She looked up at him expectantly. "Can I help you?" she asked. He crossed his arms across his chest and just glared at her. "You are with Matt today? Really Lydia?" he asked.

_**KKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKK**_

**Chapter 4-My Love**

She smiled up at him, she knew this got to him. Logically, she had no choice but to be with Truck. She still needed to pass her retraining for Squad 3. She didn't think it would get to him this much. This only meant that there was something really wrong.

She grabbed his hand and led him to his office. She pushed him in and shut the door. He stood in the middle of his office staring at her. She turned to him with her hands on her hips. "What is really going on with you? We went over all this yesterday" she asked.

"Why the hell are you riding with Casey? Why are you riding with Truck? You should have told me about retraining. I can help you. We can do it together. You don't need Casey to help you. I want you to be able to come to me. I want to be there for you. I know I haven't been in the past, but I am now. I mean you were my wife, not his" he exclaimed.

Lydia listened to him with tears in her eyes. "Kelly do you know how many times I picked up the phone to call you but never dialed? I knew we were over and you let me go, but to me you were always there. After every good case at work, or every time Andi did something. You are always going to be my number one for everything. You know that, so why don't you tell me what's really bothering you?" she answered.

He let out a frustrated sigh and sat on the edge of the bed. She stayed in her place; leaning across the desk. "I can't lose you to Matt. Things between us haven't exactly been ideal. I mean we are better now, but we aren't like we used to be. I already lost Andy because of his stupid mistake. I can't lose you too. You are one the most important things in my life and he knows that. It doesn't matter to him. I'm not going to sit back and let him take you from me" he said.

Lydia couldn't help the tears that rolled down her cheeks. He was really hurting. She crossed the room and wrapped her arms around his neck. He pressed her to him and cried. He didn't who his emotions very easily but he was comfortable with Lydia. She's seen him through worse. They have been through hell and back with each other.

She pulled away but kept her arms around his neck, "Kelly the day you lose me to Matt is the day hell freezes over. You are not going to lose me to him. I have always been known as yours, your girl, and that's not going to change now okay?" she reassured.

He smiled and kissed her forehead. "I love you Lydia. I'm always going to be there for you" he said. She smiled and wiped her tears. "The same here Kelly. I've always loved you. That's not going to change. Now, promise me that you won't blame Matt for anything anymore. You said it yourself. You are rebuilding your relationship, become friends again, let's focus on that" she said.

He gave her a 'yeah right' look. She just shook her head at his antics. After getting themselves together, they rejoined everyone else downstairs. The guys didn't say anything when they came down. They knew the relationship between Lydia and Severide. They knew that when one needed the other, they would be there for each other. Before anyone could say anything or do anything, a call came in.

**Truck 81, Engine 51, Ambulance 61, Squad 3, and Battalion 25…Apartment fire….**

Everyone jumped into action. Lydia got into the back of Truck 81 and suited up. She would be working with the paramedics when they needed her. She would be first on scene. Otherwise, she was with Truck or Squad.

"Mackenzie with me, we'll clear the main floor and work our way up. Cruz, Mills get on the roof and give us a vent!" Casey ordered.

Lydia followed behind him in the building. They were clearing floor by floor. Once they got to the third floor, they heard the chief through their helmet radio, "the smoke is rising, go up" he ordered. Casey reached behind him and grabbed Lydia's hand. They made their way down the corridor as fast as they could.

On the stairs, the floor caved, taking Lydia and Matt with it. "Chief, Casey and Mackenzie went down. They are stuck" Cruz announced. Before Boden could respond with orders, they heard the scariest sound a firefighter ever called her; their pass alarms sounded.

"Squad 3 is arriving on scene" Boden informed over the radio.

Kelly jumped out as soon as Tony rolled up. He walked over to Chief Boden for his assignment. "We've got two down. The stairs caved in from the main level. It's Casey and Mackenzie" Chief said.

Kelly's eyes squeezed shut. Of course his best friend and ex-wife would be the ones in trouble. "We need to get Casey and Mackenzie! LET'S GO NOW!" Severide ordered his team, as he storms inside ahead of his own team.

He needed to get his girl, his brother. He couldn't lose either of them. "Whoa…" Capp started to stay as he stared at the gaping hole before him.

"LYDIA! CASEY!" he yelled.

"Get me ropes! I'm going down" Severide barks, clearly showing his worry for Casey and Lydia. He went to Casey first. He needed help getting Lydia up.

"CASEY!" Severide yelled, trying to rouse him. "Damn, what happened?" he asked, slightly confused, but coherent. "Good you're okay…" Severide said before he made his way over to Lydia. Her PASS alarm went off and still kept going off.  
"Capp! Hadley! Get Casey out, I need to work on Lydia" Severide yelled, still with a fearful tone. "Damn it! Lydia!" Severide yelled.

"Hadley! Capp! I need you down here!" Severide ordered. Once Casey was up in safety, they came back down. "Mmm" Severide heard. His head whipped down to see Lydia starting to stir.

"Lydia" he called wiping a hand over his face. He flipped her over and panicked. "Dammit! She doesn't have air" Capp yelled. Kelly tore off his mask and put it over her face. "Breathe Lydia" he said.

Once she got some air, her eyes popped open and she gasped. Kelly was so relieved when her eyes opened. She tried to shoot up from pain, but Kelly held her own. "She's alive" Hadley said with relief in his voice.

"Good, let's get moving" Capp added.

Lydia looked around confused. Her head was throbbing and she couldn't breathe. She tried to take the mask off. Kelly held her wrists, "no keep it on. You need to relax and breathe for me" he tried to keep her calm.

She grabbed his hand, "don't leave me" she winced through pain as the words came out. Kelly smiled at her, "you couldn't get rid of me if you tried" he replied.

"Cruz! We need a ladder up here!" Capp radios outside. "On it!" Cruz hauled the ladder over. Kelly looked back at Lydia. "Okay princess, here we go" he carefully picked her up bridal style and carried her up the ladder.

"Shay, Dawson be ready. Lydia needs help. She's really bad" Capp said. Dawson and Shay had the gurney at the door. They were ready for the worst. When Kelly was clear, he put Lydia on the gurney. "She was fine, we got some fresh air on her and she perked up, then she just passed out as we were coming up the ladder" Severide relayed the information.

"We'll figure out what's wrong, don't worry!" she says, trying to reassure him. Everyone watched surprised. No one knew the true depth of their relationship except for Matt and Chief. They grew up with them. They saw it from the beginning. "I'm coming with you" he said.

"You can't. We are taking Casey to get checked out" Dawson said. "I can't lose her" Severide argued.

Before the argument could get any further, Chief Boden stepped in. He knew the dilemma his lieutenant was going through. A hit to the head was very serious. She needed to be brought to the hospital immediately. "Severide, let Dawson and Shay do their jobs. She'll be alright" he said.

They rushed her to the hospital. Derek was waiting in the ER. He needed to be there in case they needed to get her on the operating table. "What do we got?" he asked. "She fell through the stairs. She was without oxygen for at least 5 minutes before Squad got her out. Possible cracked rib and mild smoke inhalation," Dawson relayed the vitals and explained the situation.

"Okay, let's get her to bay 3. Order a CBC, blood panel, cultures, chest x-ray and MRI. I want her on a C-Pac to help her lungs NOW! LET'S MOVE!" he ordered.

The nurses and residents scrambled. This is one of their own and she was hurt. Within the hour, firefighters from Station 51 started arriving at the hospital. Kelly walked in as Chief Boden was talking to Derek. "Severide, this is Lydia's doctor Derek Sheppard" the Chief introduced.

Kelly just nodded at him. He really didn't care, he just wanted to make sure Lydia was ok. "Great, I remember you. You went to medical school with Lyd right?" he asked.

"Yeah that's right" Derek replied.

Derek remembered Kelly. He loved Lydia. He cared a lot about her. He would be frantic if she was hurt. He would do anything for her. He needed answers and Derek admired that about the lieutenant. He would do anything for his family and Derek had no doubt that Kelly was panicked.

"Great, so how is she?" Kelly asked.

"She needs surgery but she should make it out just fine. Since you are her emergency contact, you need to fill out the consent forms" Derek said mentioning for the nurse. Natalya, one of the nurses that works with Lydia, came over with a clipboard of forms for him to fill out.

The whole firehouse was waiting in the lobby. They were just pacing the lobby. Kelly handed Natalya back the clipboard. "Don't worry lieutenant. We'll take good care of her" she said in comfort. He smiled and nodded.

Kelly just stood in the entrance of the hallway watching the doors they wheeled her through. She was his whole life. He couldn't lose her.

"**AHHHHHHHHHHHHH"**

Lydia woke up in the trauma room scared and panicked. She was hooked up to all kinds of machines and had a C-Pac on her face. She needed Kelly. Seeing him was the last thing she remembered and she needed him now.

They heard screaming coming from the end of the hallway where Lydia was wheeled. Kelly was about to sprint down the hallway when Casey put a hand on his shoulder. "Don't worry, let them take care of her" he said to his fellow lieutenant. Kelly looked up at him with tears in his eyes. Casey wrapped his arm around Kelly's shoulder in comfort.

Kelly tensed for a minute before hugging Matt and crying in his shoulder. Matt hugged him and let him cry. No one said anything. They knew how much Lydia meant to Kelly. She meant a lot to all of them. No one was going to say anything.

After a minute, Kelly pulled away and wiped his eyes. "Thanks Matt" he said. Matt just waved it off. "Don't worry about it Kelly" he replied. They continued to hear screaming. It was just constant. All of the guys could see how hard it was for Kelly. He was trying to hold it together.

In the exam room, there was a different scene going on. Lydia woke up screaming in excruciating pain. Derek held her down by her shoulders. He knew she would be panicking when she woke up. "Lydia, you are in the hospital. You need to calm down. We are trying to help you get better okay. I just need you to relax and stay calm" he said. "Do you understand me?" he added.

She started looking around confused. She was trying to get her bearings the best she could. "Kelly…where's Kelly? What's going on?" she asked. "Lydia, Kelly's fine. He's outside. Don't worry about them. Let's focus on you right now. I need to ask you some questions, so I need you to focus on me okay?" he explained. She looked up at him with tears streaming down her face. "Okay" she replied.

He nodded, "what year is it? Where are you? Do you know who I am?" he asked. She gave him a look and scoffed, "Are you serious? It's 2014. You are Derek Sheppard; brilliant but egotistical neurosurgeon. I am Dr. Lydia Mackenzie. We both work here at the hospital and have some weird vibes going on. Now, can you please tell me what's…" she faded into unconsciousness.

"Okay, let's get her to the OR NOW. Order me an OR CT and have it waiting for me in OR 2" he yelled as they wheeled her out. "Derek, I want to me on the team" Sally said. She was a friend of the firehouse. She knew Lydia and she knew how sensitive this would be for the firefighters of 51.

Derek stared at her thinking it over. He knew he could use her, but he also knew that it would be reassuring to the family if someone they knew was in the OR taking care of their girl. "Okay, that's fine. Let's go tell the guys" he said putting his hand on the small of her back walking out with her.

The entire firehouse, except Kelly, stood up when they saw the doctors. Kelly couldn't move. He was on edge enough as it is. Leslie was next to him for comfort. "We have to take her to surgery. I think she is bleeding out of her brain. We have to go fix it now. Sally will be with me. I will keep you updated" Derek said before running to get scrubbed up.

Sally grabbed the chart from the desk and stood in front of Kelly. He looked up at her with red eyes. "You are listed as her emergency contact. We have to have you sign the consent for surgery. We need to know if you want us to do any extraordinary measures if we have to" she said. He let a few tears fall but nodded and signed the paper.

He didn't even comprehend what that even meant. Sally filled the consent paper and took her place in front of the teams. "Do you have any questions?" Sally asked. They all shook their heads; they didn't know enough about any of this to ask any questions. They wouldn't know what to ask. "Just take care of her" Chris Hermann said. She smiled and nodded. "I will. Keep an eye on things out here. I'll be out to update you soon" she said before running to the OR.

The whole operating room was on edge. The whole surgery took 5 hours. Sally updated the team every hour. Kelly was stoic the whole time. Gabby went to the daycare to pick up Andi. She was walking around the lobby with her trying to put her to sleep. Once she got her down, she put her in her stroller and covered the top. She turned her to face the wall so she could have some quiet and privacy.

"Sally, why don't we go update the guys from the firehouse while the OR team gets Lydia up to the ICU" Derek said as they scrubbed out after surgery.

Sally nodded and followed him out to update Firehouse 51. Kelly stared at them wide as he saw Sally and Derek walk out with blood splattered on their scrubs. The rest of the guys jumped up but he was frozen in place.

"She's okay. We had a couple of close calls, but she's stable. We are taking her up to ICU" Derek said. Everyone let out a breath of relief.

"Thank you Derek. Can we see her?" Chief Boden asked. "Yeah, I'll let Sally bring you guys up. You can't stay long but you can go visit for a little while. I'll see you all later" he said.

The guys started hugging and clapping each other on the back. "Sally, she's really okay?" Jamie asked. "Yes, she's fine. She should make a full recovery" Sally confirmed. Kelly let out a chocked sob and leaned forward so his head rested in his hands as he rested his elbows on his knees.

Sally took Andi out of the stroller and carried the carrier over to Severide. He needed his girls around him. She cupped his chin and tilted it up so he could see her face. He took Andi from her carrier and kissed her forehead. He needs to be reassured that both his girls were okay.

"Kelly she is okay. The surgery went very well. Your girls are okay. You are all going to be fine" she said. He looked up at her and let out a deep breath. "They are okay" he repeated. She smiled and nodded. He was finally starting to realize it. It was finally starting to sink in.

Everyone made their way to the ICU. The whole firehouse went in to visit. They each took turns and tried to be as quite as possible. They just wanted to see her and make sure she was okay. It was different hearing it than seeing it for yourself. They had to make sure she was alright for them.

Kelly and Andi went in last. Andi was asleep but he wanted her close. He wanted the whole family together. Kelly sat in the chair next to the bed and held Lydia's hand. She looked so pale and different with all the bandages and IV's around her. Kelly kissed her knuckles on her free hand. He couldn't help but let a few tears fall.

"God Lydia, why do you have to be such a drama queen? You have to make everything more complicated than necessary. Lydia I need you to wake up and be okay. I need you to wake up and be okay. I need you, we both need you; Andi and I. Come on I love you okay? Is that what you wanted to hear? Dammit! I am not going to let this little girl grow up without a mother. I can't raise this baby girl on my own. I need you. I need you to come back to me. Please, I can't function without you. I know it took me a while to figure things out with us, but please, I promise to try better. I promise to be better. Just wake up" he said before leaning forward to kiss her forehead.

Lydia smiled and let a tear fall down as her eyes fluttered open. "About time" she croaked. Kelly pulled back and looked at Lydia with tears in his eyes and rolling down his cheeks. He just stared at her wide eyed, like he couldn't believe she was awake and okay. "You're awake?" he asked with a smile on his face.

She smiled and nodded, but then winced in pain. That was a bad move. She shouldn't have moved her head. It hurt too much.


	5. Chapter 5

**Hi everyone! A HUGE THANK YOU to all my reviewers, followers, favorites, and readers. Thank you so much for taking interest in my story! I really appreciate it!**

**I just wanted to clarify some things:**

**Hadley leaving the firehouse hasn't happened yet, but it will be addressed.**

**Severide and Lydia's relationship will be addressed.**

**Hallie/Gabby/Matt relationship will be addressed in this chapter!**

**Thank you all for reading and taking interest!**

**PLEASE REVIEW! **

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_**Previously…**_

Lydia smiled and let a tear fall down as her eyes fluttered open. "About time" she croaked. Kelly pulled back and looked at Lydia with tears in his eyes and rolling down his cheeks. He just stared at her wide eyed, like he couldn't believe she was awake and okay. "You're awake?" he asked with a smile on his face.

She smiled and nodded, but then winced in pain. That was a bad move. She shouldn't have moved her head. It hurt too much.

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**Chapter 5- For Better or Worst**

"Hey, are you okay? Do you want me to get Sally or Derek?" he asked in panic. She smiled at his concern, "No, Kelly just relax. So, you need me huh? You can't live without me. You are going to change. Wow, I'm glad you wai…" she was cut off by his lips crashing into hers.

She smiled against his lips. They felt so right with each other after all these years. They broke apart when Derek and everyone came barreling in. "Uh, I hate to disagree with every romantic out there, but we come in here every time her heart stops" he said with the crash cart at his side.

Kelly couldn't help but chuckle and pull away. The entire firehouse piled into her hospital room. Now that Lydia was awake, they greeted her properly. They hung out for a little while, just to keep her company and get her mind off of things.

When it came time for everyone to leave, Kelly walked them out and pulled Casey aside before he got in the elevator. "Matt, I need you for an hour tomorrow if you can spare the time? I need your help with something. Can you do that?" he asked.

Matt looked at his colleague and noticed how flustered he was. "What is it Severide?" he replied. The only other time he saw Kelly that flustered was when he first asked Lydia to marry him. "I want to get Lydia's old wedding ring re-designed. I was serious what I said. I want her back and I want my family together again. I want to update it and show her that I am really changed" he said.

Matt looked at Kelly with the biggest smile on his face. He was really happy that Kelly was changing. He knew that those girls changed who he was. He wasn't the playboy anymore, he was growing up. He would help him anyway he could.

"So you finally decided to come to your senses and take your family back" Matt teased. He loved getting under Kelly's skin and it was so easy now a days. Kelly punched his shoulder. "Can you be serious for like 2 seconds please? I am freaking out here" he glared as Matt started laughing.

"Don't worry Kelly, I'll pick it up and get it together for you. I'll have Shay and Gabby come with me so I don't mess it up" Matt said. Kelly nodded and pulled out a piece of paper out of his wallet. It had everything he wanted on there and gave it to Matt. "Okay good. I need Shay though and Sally for help. I want to decorate her room. Make it look nice. I need flowers and stuff, so I need the girls help. You take Gabby, unless that's a problem?" he asked.

Everyone knew the dynamic between Matt and Gabby. The two had feelings for each other, just neither wanted to make the first move. Matt glared at Severide, "no, no problem" he replied. Matt clapped Kelly's shoulder and left with Andi and Gabby. He promised Kelly he would watch Andi for him while they were in the hospital. Gabby was there for help.

The next day everyone showed up at various times to come visit. Matt came in the morning and gave Kelly the ring. He stopped by the mall to get it fixed last night with Dawson. He walked into the trauma wing and made his way to Lydia's room. He smiled when he saw Kelly asleep on the side of the bed holding Lydia's hand.

He walked over and tapped his shoulder, "Severide" he woke him up. Kelly woke up with a start, but calmed when he saw Lydia still asleep and Matt there. They walked into the hallway and Matt gave Kelly the ring. The plan was to give it to her later in the day when everyone was there. The entire firehouse showed up at the hospital later that day.

Kelly had Lydia blindfolded all afternoon. Gabby and Sally helped him set up the whole room. The plain old hospital room looked beautiful. They got flowers, candles and everything. They scattered them all over the room. Kelly was so nervous. He walked into the room and sat next to Lydia on the bed.

"Kelly, what's going on? What is that smell?" she asked. She knew something was up. She could hear him, Gabby and Sally moving around the room all day. "Severide? Sally? Gabs? Look, I know something is going on. I heard you move things and set things up all afternoon" she said.

He just smiled and opened the box. It was perfect. He leaned forward and took off her blindfold. Lydia looked around the room in awe. It was absolutely beautiful. "Kelly" she gasped. He let out a nervous breath, "Lydia Margret Mackenzie, you have been the only girl I have ever truly loved. Somehow, you managed to work your way into my heart. When we were 6 years old, I asked you to marry me. You told me that one day when we were older you would be my wife. Well, we were 18, I married you and it was great, until I messed up. Lydia I know I messed up. I was so obsessed with getting Squad and being the best that I forgot to be your husband. I know I can be an ass and have been, but when you had Andi, seeing you two together, us together as a family, things just felt right; you have always felt right to me. Please make me the happiest man alive…again and become my wife. Please?" he asked.

Lydia, Gabby, Sally and Leslie all had tears in their eyes. The guys were all smiling big. This day was long overdue.

Lydia wiped her tears and smiled. "It took you me being in the hospital to remember all this. Of course I'll marry you, but we don't rush it" she said. He put the ring on her finger and reached forward to kiss her. The entire firehouse erupted into cheers. They were so happy for their Lieutenants.

Lydia wrapped her arms around Kelly's neck content. She was getting her family back. She smiled against his lips. She was finally getting a second chance at love. They were finally going to be a real family again. Kelly pulled away and rested his forehead on hers. "Are you happy? I am sorry to do this in a hospital and not somewhere romantic, but I couldn't wait anymore. I thought I was going to lose you and I realized that I can't live without you" he explained.

She couldn't keep the smile off her face. "Very happy! How could I not be? I just got everything I ever wanted" she said. Lydia looked up at Kelly with a smile on her face. She was the happiest girl alive. The guys and gals from the firehouse came in to spread their congratulations. They were so happy for their friends.

Lydia laid in bed, holding Kelly's hand while everyone talked and fussed over her. Andi was in her stroller just enjoying the gathering. She didn't really know what was going on. It was all of a sudden when her smile faded. She started feeling weird. She knew something was wrong. She winced, like she was in pain and started breathing heavily, almost like she was hyperventilating.

Kelly was the closest to her, so he noticed first. "Lyd, babe what's wrong? Are you in pain?" he asked. She just stared at the ceiling holding her head, with her eyes squeezed shut. Derek made his way toward her on one side of the bed with Sally on the other. "Lydia, you need to tell me what's wrong" he said as he began to examine her. She's a doctor, she knew what she was feeling and she knew it wasn't right.

She opened her eyes and let the tears fall. "I feel like my head is on fire. Derek, something is wrong" she panicked. Derek looked at her with eyes of worry. He started his exam, looked at the chart, and took in all her information, while Sally took her vitals. "Derek her temp is 104.7" she gasped worried.

They both knew what that meant, she had an infection. Derek grabbed the intercom while Sally tore the blankets off of her. "This is Dr. Sheppard in room 218. I need cooling blankets, ice packs STAT!" he yelled into the intercom. Then he looked to Sally, "what's her pulse ox?" he asked.

"86%. Derek we have to cool her down" she exasperated as she ran to the bathroom. She filled up a bucket of cold water and started putting wash clothes all over Lydia's body. Lydia looked up at them wide eyed. She was scared. She knew was this meant. Something was shutting down or her body was trying to fight an infection and it was losing.

"Derek" she managed out through clenched teeth.

"Don't worry, you'll be okay" he said.

"What the hell is going on? She was fine a minute ago" Kelly asked. He was scared. Casey came over and clapped a hand on his shoulder. "She's strong, she'll be alright" he said as he watched Sally put an oxygen mask over Lydia's mouth and nose.

Then all of a sudden, Lydia shot up into a sitting position gasping for breath. Her head was spinning, she was seeing double and she held her chest like she couldn't breathe. The pulse ox numbers were dropping right in front of them.

"EVERYONE OUT NOW!" Derek yelled.

It took Casey and Chief to drag Kelly out of the room and into the hallway. "No, I have to be there for her. She needs me. I can't lose her" he protested fighting against them. Casey got in front of him and held his shoulders at arm's length so they were face to face.

"Kelly I know that you want to be there for her, but right now you'll just get in the way. You have to let Sally and Derek to do their jobs" he raised his voice slightly. Kelly looked Casey dead in the eye. After a minute, he calmed down and nodded.

Sally hit the intercom button, "CALL A CODE!" she yelled into it.

"**CODE BLUE 218! ROOM 218! CODE BLUE! GET IN HERE NOW!"**

All the alarms were going off and Kelly was panicking. Dozens upon dozens of people, nurses…doctors…a lot of other people he didn't recognize were running into the room. One nurse ran in with the crash cart. They pulled Lydia's gown down off her chest and pressed the paddles to her skin.

"Charge 200" Derek yelled.

"Charged"…..

BOOM!

She jumped up as the electricity hit her body. Nothing…she was still out.

"Charge 250" he tried again.

"Charged"…

BOOM!...BEEP…BEEP…BEEP!

"We got a pulse" Sally said.

Kelly looked up and watched the machine. He saw Lydia's chest rise and fall with every breath she took and realized that in that moment, he had never seen anything more beautiful. Lydia's eyes fluttered open and took in her surroundings. She panicked when she didn't see Kelly. Her hand came up to remove the oxygen mask but Derek held her wrist before she could get it off.

"He's right outside. We are running some blood cultures to see where the infection is. I have pre-ordered wide spectrum antibiotics. They will be ready for you when the cultures come back. Due to this new revelation, we are keeping you in the hospital. If you behave, promise to rest and keep that oxygen mask on your face, I'll let Kelly stay with you tonight. Do we have a deal?" he asked.

She smiled with tears rolling under her cheeks under the mask and nodded. She held up her hand and stuck out her pinky finger. He laughed and crossed fingers with hers. Derek walked out and smiled when he saw all the firehouse pop up. "She's stable" he started.

"She has an infection somewhere; we are running cultures to find out how bad it is. We have her on an oxygen mask because her pulse ox is dropping rapidly. She needs to keep the mask on at all times. Kelly you go in there and stay with her. I made her promise I would send you in if she promised to listen to me" he teased. Kelly didn't need to be told twice.

He turned to Gabby and Casey, "will you please watch Andi for me tonight? I really want to stay with Lydia. I can't leave, I just can't…" he said barely holding it together as it is.

"Yeah, no problem; don't worry about Andi, she'll be fine. You just focus on Lydia and getting her better" Gabby said. He nodded, 'because I know that you and Casey aren't together, but I need both of you to watch her" he said looking over her shoulder at Hallie. Gabby followed his gaze and let out a breath.

She cupped Kelly's face and turned it to get his attention so he was looking at her. "You. Do. Not. Have. To. Worry. About Andi" she said nodding in reassurance. He nodded and grabbed her in a hug, "Thanks Gabby" he said before giving her a hug.

She rubbed his back in comfort and kissed his cheeks. He turned to Casey and leaned down to kiss Andi's forehead. She was asleep in the stroller. "Be good baby girl. Daddy has to take care of mommy right now so Aunt Gabby and Uncle Matt are going to take care of you. I'll see you soon" he gave her another kiss before standing up and wiping his tears.

He stood at her doorway and watched them leave. He turned and walked into Lydia's room. Sally was in there checking her vitals and updating her chart when he walked in. "Hey Sal, how's she doing?" he asked. Sally looked at Lydia before looking at Kelly, "she's okay. She needs to keep the oxygen mask on so her pulse ox can come up" she said emphasizing the importance of the oxygen mask.

Kelly nodded and made his way over to the chair next to her bed. He held her hand with one hand and leaned up to move some hair over her forehead. She turned her head to look at him with tears in her eyes. He smiled and wiped her tears off her cheeks. "Why are you crying? You are going to be okay" he said. She smiled and nodded.

She smiled and grabbed his hand. She squeezed his hand, "don't leave me" she croaked. He smiled and nodded, "don't worry about it. I am not going anywhere. Andi is with Casey and Gabby for the night. You know I think she is going to be the driving force that brings those two together. How funny would that be if she gets those two together" he joked. She smiled and continued to cry. He wiped her tears and kissed her cheek. He just rested his head next to her on the pillow so they were cheek to cheek.

"Don't worry about anything. I will always be here for you" he said, "just rest and relax" he added. She closed her eyes and tilted her head so she was resting against Kelly. He just watched her sleep. He couldn't close his eyes, because he didn't want something to happen to her while he was sleeping.

Matt had taken Gabby and Andi back to his house. He promised Kelly that he would watch Andi for the night and now Kelly wanted Gabby to help, so they would both watch her. They made a pit stop at Lydia's apartment to grab stuff for Andi. Hallie wasn't happy, but at the moment, he didn't care.

"Matt, why does Gabby have to be here? I understand that Severide wants you to watch Andi, but why does she have to be here?" Hallie complained referring to Gabby.

Gabby was playing with Andi in the living room. Matt brought her play gym and a bunch of toys from Lydia's apartment. He looked at them with a smile. Andi looked so cute and happy with her. He couldn't go back on his word and he didn't want to. Things felt right with Gabby.

"I am sorry Hallie, but I promised Kelly. This is not a rendezvous. I am watching my friend's daughter. She in the hospital and he is really worried about her. It's the least I can do if he wants me and Gabby to watch Andi. It feels right to be here. I am sorry, I am not going to kick her out" he said.

She just stared at him wide eyed. She couldn't believe he just said that to her. She figured that he would at least tell Dawson to go home and watch Andi on his own. She was not expecting for him to stick up for her. Not that she could say she was surprised. There were rumors in the firehouse that they had some weird connection. That's not surprising. She heard it and noticed it all the time. They always stuck up for each other. No one else ever acted the same as them. It was weird how different they acted with each other. The only other people that acted like that were Lydia and Kelly and we all know how that turned out.

She looked at Gabby and Andi sitting on his living room floor playing and enjoying themselves. She couldn't help but notice how right they looked. They looked like they belonged there. Like everything just fit. It was in that moment that Hallie realized she was the one out of place. "Matt it's me or them" she said.

Casey looked at her with wide eyes. "Are you serious?" he asked. She nodded and crossed her arms across her chest. "Yeah, you need to decide right now" she said. He nodded and didn't even have to think about it. "Them. I am sorry Hallie, but you are the one that made me choose. I choose Andi. I choose Gabby. That little girl needs something constant in her life and if Gabby and I have to be that constant for her, then we are" he said. She wiped her tears, grabbed her purse and tore out of the house.

Matt looked after her until she was out of sight. Then he turned to Gabby and Andi, only to find Dawson with Andi in her arms looking back at him. She could see that this was really hard for him. She walked over to him and handed him his goddaughter. He held her close to his chest. Gabby leaned up and wrapped her arms around his neck to give him a hug. She just held him and smiled when he pulled her closer. He needed her right now and she knew it. After he let her go, he looked down at the happy baby and smiled.

"How about we go get you some dinner?" Casey asked. They both nodded and made their way to the kitchen. Matt put Andi in her high chair and sat next to her as they watched Gabby flow around the kitchen. She pulled out a package of chicken breast and some mashed potatoes and grabbed some jars out of Andi's diaper bag.

"So for Andi today we have turkey and sweet potatoes. Then for dessert, we can have some fruit medley. Then for us, I can marinate the chicken and put them on the skillet for some grilled chicken and my red potatoes. What do you think?" she asked. Matt looked at Andi for her opinion. She smiled and held up her princess spoon, causing Matt and Gabby to laugh. "I think we like that plan Aunt Gabby" he said. Dawson smiled and nodded. She got to work in the kitchen.

Every once in a while, she would look over her shoulder at Matt and Andi. Matt smiled and laughed at Andi and her antics. They were talking like they were in their own little world. Andi was no starting to say things, so it was fun to talk to her. He looked up and noticed Gabby staring at him. "What?" he asked. She shrugged her shoulders, "you look good when you smile. I missed it, haven't seen it in a while" she commented. He smiled and shrugged his shoulders, "you look pretty good too right now" he replied and smiled when she blushed.

Maybe Kelly was on to something. Is Andi all they needed to open the door into their relationship? God, only the womanizing playboy Kelly Severide would be right about something like that, not that Matt would ever admit it to him. If this opened the door for a relationship with Gabby, and Severide finds out he was right about it, then he will never hear the end of it. That was not going to happen. He didn't need to know. He didn't need any more ammunition against Matt.


	6. Chapter 6

**Hi everyone! Thanks for reading and taking interest in my story! I appreciate all the interest.**

**Please review and let me know what you are liking and what you want to see!**

**This chapter is going to be similar concept to my other story. I just need to get the framework down before I delve more into details, so please bear with me!**

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**Previously…**

Maybe Kelly was on to something. Is Andi all they needed to open the door into their relationship? God, only the womanizing playboy Kelly Severide would be right about something like that, not that Matt would ever admit it to him. If this opened the door for a relationship with Gabby, and Severide finds out he was right about it, then he will never hear the end of it. That was not going to happen. He didn't need to know. He didn't need any more ammunition against Matt.

**LLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLChapter 6-My house**

The next day, Kelly woke up feeling pressure against his hand and something massaging his scalp. He looked up confused for a second, taking in surroundings. Once he remembered everything from the night before, he shot up into a sitting position to see Lydia lying there smiling at him without her oxygen mask on.

He panicked and freaked out on her. "Lydia, what the hell? Derek said you have to keep the oxygen mask on" he yelled at her. She let out a long breathy laugh. "Kelly, are you seriously yelling at me while I am in the hospital? I am fine; Derek came in this morning for rounds and said that I could take the mask off, because my pulse ox is 100%. My levels are back to normal. I am just going to feel tired for a while.

He looked at her suspiciously. He pressed for the nurse and called for the doctor to come in. Derek and Sally came running in, "what's going on?" Sally asked. "She said she is okay and she doesn't need the oxygen mask anymore. Is she really okay?" he asked.

Derek picked up the chart and looked it over while Sally took her vitals. "Her vitals are stable" Sally announced as she updated the chart. "Good, let me give you an exam and then I will decide how good you really are" he said.

Derek walked over and checked her out for himself. After a minute of doing all kinds of neurological tests, and looking everything over, he re-looked at the chart. He wanted to be 100% sure that she was okay. "Well, you are good to go on my end. I want to order some more blood work and tests just to be sure, but other than that, I think you are good to go" Derek said.

Lydia smiled and started crying. Kelly laughed at her and leaned forward to wipe her tears. She was so happy. He was ecstatic that she was going to be okay. He never really knew how much he loved her or how much he needed her until they got Andi.

That little girl had a special place in his heart from day one. Ever since they found out she was pregnant, Kelly changed. He became more sensitive and in-tune to his emotions. He became more loving and less attention seeking. He did the whole nursery himself and bought her the biggest present for her baby. Kelly and Matt did the whole nursery themselves. Kelly has never taken more time off than he did when she was pregnant and had that baby.

_Lydia and Sally spent months decorating and observing the boys. They had a whole plan in mind. They made it beautiful. When they were just starting the nursery, he remembered four of them standing in the room just staring at the mess that was supposed to hold a child. It was a disaster. "This room has to be beautiful because it has to match the beautiful little girl that is going to live here" Kelly said as he looked around the room. _

_All the guys looked at him like he was crazy, but he was on a mission. He had to get it done. He walked over to Lydia and leaned down so he was face to face with her 6 month belly. "Don't worry angel, daddy is here to make sure you have a beautiful little castle to live in okay. Don't you worry about a little thing" he said._

Kelly was brought back to reality out of his head by Derek and Sally walking back into the room. He looked at them and followed them as they looked over Lydia. They examined her, took blood, and checked her chest, her breathing, and her head. Derek conducted a neurological exam to check her brain function after the brain bleed. They wanted to make sure everything was okay.

"So, how is she doing?" Kelly asked as he sat next to Lydia on the hospital bed. Derek and Sally looked at them with smiles. "Things are looking good. We are going to have to keep you here a few days. At the end of the week, you can go home" he said.

Lydia whined, "Derek, come on! I can go home, I am fine" she protested. Derek laughed and shook his head. He stood his ground and shook his head, "Lydia Mackenzie, you are a doctor. You know damn well that we keep patients a week after a brain bleed" he said.

She huffed and relaxed back into the bed. "Fine, can I at least eat real food? This hospital stuff sucks" she said. Derek laughed, "Yeah, I'll put it in your chart. You know, it's true that doctors make the worse patients" he teased. Lydia smiled and let out a laugh.

They went on with their rounds. Lydia turned to Kelly barely able to keep her eyes open. "Call Andi" she said before falling asleep. Kelly took out his cell phone and called Matt. He wanted to check on Andi. He couldn't get her out of his head. He missed his little angel. Kelly took out his cell phone and walked out into the doorway so Lydia could sleep, and called Matt.

"Casey" Matt answered.

They were eating breakfast with Andi in the kitchen when his phone rang. He saw it was Severide, so he figured he was calling to check on Andi. "Hey, it's Kelly. How are things going?" Kelly asked. Matt smiled at the sight of Andi playing with her food. She was a mess. Matt took a picture with his phone and sent it to Kelly.

"Things are good. We are all good here. Andi and Gabby are eating breakfast, and then we are going to the park for some playtime. How are things at the hospital? How's Lydia?" he asked. Kelly looked through the door into Lydia's room at her sleeping form with a smile. "She's getting better. Derek said she could go home on Friday. Are you sure Andi's okay? I am sorry to dump babysitting duty on you and Dawson. I know you are going through stuff with Dawson and Hallie" he said.

Matt pulled the phone away from his ear and smiled. He let out a big stressed breath. "Kelly, I have no idea what the hell I am doing here. Hallie gave me an ultimatum tonight. She was pissed that Gabby was here. She told me to choose and I chose Gabby" he said.

Kelly smirked, "you chose Gabby! Damn man, I knew you two had it going. It's about time you came to your senses. Do I need to go get my daughter or are you going to keep things rated G?" Kelly couldn't help but tease.

Matt turned beat red and shook his head. He lowered his voice so Gabby couldn't hear him, "G, it's staying G" he said hurriedly. Kelly started laughing. He was happy for his friend. He finally got his life together. "Good, I am glad for you man. I'll be seeing you soon. Thanks Matt, for everything today" he said. "I am her godfather, it's not a problem. Just focus on Lydia" Matt replied.

Kelly hung up and walked into Lydia's room and sat next to her and held her hand. "Do you remember when you told me you were pregnant? We were at your apartment and Jamie was on shift. We were having dinner. I had no idea anything was wrong. You just told me you were sick and didn't feel like going out. You got up and ran to the bathroom to throw up. You were in tears when I walked in. We were arguing when you just yelled 'I'm pregnant.' I was shocked beyond belief. I didn't know what to do or say" he remembered and chuckled to himself at the memory.

When you gave birth, I was freaked. I remember standing by your side, holding your hand completely out of it. I couldn't believe I was a dad. I never told you but it didn't really hit me until I held her in the nursery. The nurse gave her to me and I sat in the rocking chair holding her in my arms for the first time. I just sat there and stared at her. I couldn't believe she was mine. I knew from the moment she opened her eyes that I would protect her with my life. It was that day that I knew she was the best thing that would ever happen to me. Thank you for giving me my little girl. Thank you for giving me the chance for being in her life" he kissed the back of her hand.

He looked up at her and noticed that she was still sleeping. He smiled and leaned forward to kiss her. "I love you princess" he said smiling as she stirred and moved around to get more comfortable. Then he moved out in to the hallway. He picked up his phone and called Shay. He wanted her to get some food for him. He didn't want to leave Lydia, but he was starving. She went to Applebee's and got some car side to go. She ordered a bunch of stuff for them. They were all pitching in for being supportive of Severide and Lydia.

Andi was enjoying herself with Gabby on the swings. She was dressed in jeans, little princess shoes, a princess t-shirt and a little hoodie because it was a tad chilly outside. Matt stood in front of Andi and Gabby with a smile on his face. Andi was bursting out laughing. She was really enjoying herself. Andi had her hands out trying to get Matt. After the swing, Gabby put Andi down in her stroller and wheeled her over to the spin-wheel. Matt sat down so Gabby could place Andi on his lap. He slowly started spinning. Andi put her hands up and started failing them around. Gabby and Matt couldn't help but laugh. She was having such a good time.

A week had gone by so quickly. Kelly stayed with Lydia all week at the hospital. Their friends took their turns watching Andi and visiting Lydia and Kelly in the hospital. It was the day Lydia was getting released from the hospital when Kelly dropped the bomb.

Derek walked into to the room with a smile on his face, "Alright Lydia, you are all set to go home." Lydia was thrilled. Finally her life could get back to normal. "Thank God! Now I know how my patients feel when I tell them they have to stay and when they go home. It's like being released from prison" she teased. He just laughed, "Yeah well the hospital can be a bit depressing if you aren't used to it" he replied.

"Hey babe, how are you feeling today?" Kelly asked as he came in and helped her tie her shoes. Sally had helped her change into some normal clothes this morning, but she didn't want to put her shoes or jacket on until before she left. She smiled down at him and gave him a quick kiss. "I am okay, just a little tired. I just want to go home" she replied. "Well, here's your options: either I stay with you at your house or you come stay with me and Shay so what'll it be babe, my house or yours?" he couldn't even say it with a straight face.

She glared, "come on, I can take care of myself" she argued. Derek laughed and shook his head. "No way, here are your discharge papers. The deal is, no lifting or driving for the next 2 to 3 weeks, you need to have someone with you at all time to make sure you are able to get around okay without any incidents. So I recommend that you let Kelly stay with you. You just had brain surgery, you are going to need help. I have your pain prescription. I am giving you oxycodone. Take 1 twice daily/as needed every 4-6 hours" he said.

In reality, Lydia knew all that already, it's just something they had to do. Instead of giving the speech to the patient and getting on with her day, she was the patient. It was her turn to change her life around. "Derek, this sucks. Between Matt, Kelly, Sally, Gabby and Shay, the only thing I will be allowed to do is sit on the couch and watch TV" she protested.

He laughed at her complaint. Lydia Mackenzie was the most active person he knew. She hated sitting around. Even in the hospital, when they were working together, when there were no cases, she used to bounce up and down in place or go check on patients. She hated sitting still. He knew this was going to kill her.

"When can she get back to work?" Kelly asked. "She should be able to go back in a month if her checkup goes well for the post op next month. We just have to wait and see how things go" he said warning her to take it easy. He knew that if she had a goal working toward, she would make sure to do it. Come hell or high water, she would make sure she reached her goal.

"Don't worry Lyd, you are healing really well. You are doing really well. Don't worry okay. I'll see you in a few weeks" he said. "Okay, Sally has your discharge papers ready. Just stop at the desk and sign everything. I have to finish rounds on patients that actually want to be here" he said before leaving. Kelly grabbed all her bags, wrapped his arm around her waist and helped her stand. He noticed she got really pale.

"I am going to help you walk to the wheel chair" he said. "Okay, just don't drop me" she teased. He shook his head and smiled as they made their way to the doorway. He helped her sit down and covered her up with a blanket. He wheeled her down the hall. As promised, they had to stop at the desk and sign the discharge papers and pick up her prescriptions. As Kelly wheeled her out, her friends and residents walked out with her.

"You are going to be divided up with Dr. Sheppard, Dr. Jullian, and Dr. Montoya. I may be at home, but I will be checking in. I want good reports. I raised you all to be the best and that is what I expect to see, do I make myself clear?" she asked.

The residents looked at her fearful, while Kelly and the attendings just smirked. "Yes mam" they said in unison. She nodded, "good. Do me proud" she replied before they made their way out of the hospital. Kelly broke out into laughter, "you scared them shitless" he teased. She laughed, "Yeah well, it's my job" she replied. Kelly helped her up and into the car before handing the wheel chair to Sally. She walked out with them.

Once she was settled, Kelly put her bags in the back and got behind the wheel. They stopped at CVS to pick up her pain meds before going back to the apartment. Lydia looked up at her building and smiled. She was glad to be home. "I am finally home" she said looking over at Kelly. He was just as excited as she was. He was finally getting a chance to be a part of his family again. He parked in front of the door and went to help her out. He put his arm around her waist for support. They made their way into her building with no problems.

"You ready?" Kelly asked.

She looked up at him with the biggest smile on her face, "I am so ready" she replied.

They opened the door to find all the lights off and the apartment completely quiet.

"**SURPRISE!" **they heard all of a sudden.

Kelly reached over and turned on the lights so she could see all their friends standing there with balloons, streamers and a welcome home banner. It was very sweet of everyone. "Guys! This was not necessary. You didn't have to go through all this trouble" she said making her way into the apartment. Gabby came over to give her a hug, "we wanted to welcome the future Mrs. Severide…again…the right way. We are glad you are doing better" she said carefully giving her a hug.

Not that Lydia would admit it, she was still very weak. It tired her out to do every day basic things. "Aww, thanks guys! I have the best friends any girl could ever ask for. Thank you so much" Lydia said. "It was our pleasure. We wanted to cheer you up after being in the hospital" Matt said as he came over and took her from Kelly to help her over to the couch. He could see how tired she was getting.

"Besides, this was all Kelly's idea. He even helped me cook" Gabby teased. Lydia looked at Kelly shocked. Everyone knew Kelly couldn't cook. He tried but always failed. When they were younger, and it was his turn to cook at the firehouse, he would call Lydia or raid her fridge. "Are you serious? You helped Gabby cook? Should I be scared?" she teased.

"HAHA! You are so funny" Kelly replied. He knew it was all in good fun. He would take the teasing and the ridicule if it made her laugh and smile. He loved it when she smiled. He always said she never looked more beautiful than when she was happy. If teasing him made her happy, then bring it on.

"He wanted to help, so I let him do the basic things. Stir the pasta, make the salad, chop the vegetables for the veggie tray….you know, just the little things" she replied. "I see, you just had to have your hand in everything didn't you?" Lydia couldn't help but burst out laughing at the look on Kelly's face. He was so embarrassed, he was actually blushing.

"That's all very funny. In fact, it's so funny I forgot to laugh" he replied. She smiled, "aww, don't be mad Kel. You know we are just teasing" she said reaching over to kiss his cheek. "If this is what I get every time I try to do something nice and special for the woman I love, then why bother?" he said pretending to be mad.

Lydia smiled at him. She knew what he was doing. He used to do it all the time when they were married. "So this really was your idea? You thought of having this party for me?" she asked. He smiled and tried to wave off the importance of it. "Yeah, I wanted to do something to cheer you up after the hospital and I wanted to make for damn sure you knew that I am serious about wanting us to be a family again. I know I have said this before, but I am serious now. I've grown up Lydia, I am not that stupid kid anymore who doesn't know that the hell he's gotten himself into. I want you, I want Andi and I want our family" he said completely serious.

All the firefighters looked on with smiles on their faces. It was about time their lieutenant was manning up and reclaiming what was his. They both deserved to be happy.

With Lydia being out of the hospital and Kelly staying with her and Andi, things were starting to look up. Lydia was getting used to having him around again. They were finally starting to act like a family. It was the Kelly was getting back to work after moving in with Lydia and Andi. Due to them taking it slow, he was currently residing in one of the guest rooms. He remembered when he brought her home from the hospital.

As Lydia got settled onto the couch, they heard a baby crying over the monitor. Lydia smiled and went to get up, but stopped when Matt beat her to it. "I'll get her. I am going to miss her tonight" he said making his way upstairs. Lydia looked over at Gabby and noticed the look on the young paramedic's face.

Gabby came over and sat next to her on the couch. "This whole thing has really made us closer. He broke up with Hallie. It was when we were watching Andi; she made him choose between watching Andi with me and their relationship. He chose us" Gabby informed.

Lydia smiled and put her arm around Gabby in a little hug. "That's good right?" Lydia asked. If Matt chose them, then why did she look so sad? "It is a good thing, but he didn't exactly explain what we are now. I mean, are we together or are we not? It's like we are in limbo" she complained.

Everyone turned their attention to Matt coming down the stairs with Andi in his arms. Lydia looked into Gabby's eyes and could see how happy she looked when she saw Matt with Andi. She felt for the young paramedic. She wanted Matt so bad; it was obvious to everyone but them. No, Lydia was determined to push things along for them. She wanted them to be as happy as her.

Matt came down and put Andi in Lydia's lap. Lydia started crying. She never thought she would see her little girl again. "I missed you little girl. I am so glad we are here, with our friends and family. I thought I would never see you again, but your daddy was too stubborn to let anything happen to me" she teased.

She really missed her while she was in the hospital. Of course Matt and Gabby brought her to visit in the hospital, but she really missed her. It was only them for so long, she wasn't used to being without her for long periods of time. Kelly came over and sat next to her.

"Hey, you need to be careful. You are not supposed to lift anything over 5 pounds" Kelly reminded her. "Come on Kelly, how can you say no to this cute little angel?" Lydia said cupping Andi's face. She couldn't really lift her because she was already getting tired.

He smiled at his girls, "easy, no! I don't want you to hurt yourself" he said. Lydia pouted and stared up at Kelly with her lip jutted out. "Daddy is being a meanie. I missed her Kelly. I haven't seen her in a week" Lydia protested. "I don't care Lyd. You just got out of the hospital and I am not going to let you break the rules, hours after you got home" he said.

"Fine, be like that" she huffed in frustration. Lydia wrapped her arms around her and squeezed her tight against her. She breathed her baby girl in. "I missed you soo much" she said before kissing her head. "I love you angel cakes" she added. Lydia leaned back to rest on the couch with Andi laying on her chest. She was playing with Andi's hair and over all enjoying being with her daughter.

Matt sat next to her on the couch and smiled at the scene. "You are trying to break the rules already?" he asked with a smirk on his face, putting an arm around the end of the couch, so it was over her shoulders. Lydia smiled at her friend and looked down at her little girl; "she's my baby. I can't help it. She's the world to me. I can't ever say no to her" Lydia said.

"Yeah and I said no to her. I wouldn't let her pick her up and so gratefully reminded her that she just got out of the hospital. So now I am the bad guy" Kelly said to them as he joined them on the opposite couch so he was across from them. "Yeah, you had to be a big meanie and deny me my little girl" she told him.

Kelly laughed, "Yeah because I don't want you to get hurt hours after you got out of the hospital. Whatever" he said heading to get some food from the kitchen. Gabby made enough food to feed an army. He loved it when she cooked, or when Lydia cooked. They were the only girls that could cook the best. They definitely cooked their way into his heart. "You want something to eat? Gabby made a ton of it, and you know her, it's delicious" Matt said looking over at her.

"No, I'm okay. I'm not really hungry" she said holding her head as she leaned back on the couch to rest her head. Her head was hurting a little, like she was getting a headache. "Are you sure? There's tons of it" he asked giving her a look. Kelly looked over and met Matt's gaze over the couch.

Kelly had told Matt that her appetite had gone down since the surgery. "I'm okay really. I had a huge breakfast at the hospital. You know they don't let you leave without eating" she said. "Alright, as long as you are okay and full" he replied. "Matt, I'm fine. Go help yourself" she smiled giving him a kiss on the cheek.

"Okay, I'll be back" he said. Lydia smiled and watched as he made his way to the kitchen. "Okay, go and have fun" she replied waving him off. He went over to the kitchen to get some food and made himself a plate while staring at Kelly. He shook his head and told Kelly that she didn't eat anything.

"Hey Lydia, how are you feeling? Are you doing okay?" Hermann asked as he sat next to her on the couch. "I'm okay. Hanging in there; this is all just so tiring. I can't do anything normal" she said sinking back into the couch some more.

Andi was nice and settled onto her chest. She was lying with her feet up and her hand clutching Lydia's fingers. Hermann looked her over to make sure she was really okay. He was like the dad of the group. He always watched over the young ones. "You sure you feel okay?" he asked looking her over. She smiled at him in concern before continuing to play with Andi's hair.

"Yeah, I am totally fine. I am glad to be home. I missed everyone" she replied. He smiled and patted her back, "we missed you too. Do you want some water or something to eat?" he asked getting up. Kelly came over with a huge plate of food and a glass of ice water. "Beat you to it there Hermann" he said putting the food in front of her and setting the water down so he could cut her chicken.

"These are not all for me?" she said looking at him like she was crazy. She wouldn't eat this much normally; there was no way she was going to eat this much coming out of the hospital. "No, they are mine, but I thought we could share, since you HAVE to eat" he emphasized. She glared at him. She only ate it because she knew that if she didn't, she wouldn't hear the end of it.

After a few hours, everyone started leaving. They all had a really good time. It was really nice of their friends to do this for her. She really missed them when she was in New York. She was glad to be back home where she belongs.

When everyone left from the party, Gabby and Sally helped Lydia wash up and get changed into something more comfortable. Matt helped Kelly put everything away and get the house cleaned up. "So, not to be obvious, but where are you sleeping tonight?" Matt asked. Kelly put the last of the food in the fridge before turning to Matt. The boys turned to look at the girls who were coming downstairs.

"I have no idea. I am avoiding it" he replied.

Matt laughed and shook his head at Kelly. "Don't you think it would be important to find out? I mean I know you guys are working things out, but don't you think it would be too fast if you slept together?" Matt pushed.

"We kind of already did. When I was over after the bbq, I fell asleep on the couch. She woke me up and led me upstairs to her room. We slept together without sleeping together. It was the best night's sleep I've had in a while" he replied.

On the other side of the room, the girls were having a similar conversation. "So Lyd, where is Kelly sleeping tonight?" Sally asked as they helped her to the couch. Lydia blushed, "I don't know. We haven't really talked about it. I didn't even know he would be staying with me until today. We have already slept in the same bed so it wouldn't be a huge deal, but I want him to say something" she replied.

Gabby laughed, "Fat chance of that happening. Kelly Severide avoids serious conversations like the plague" she teased. Lydia looked at Matt and Kelly in the kitchen and nodded in agreement. "I know. If it's not about Andi or our relationship and him telling me he's totally serious about us, I can't get him to talk about what happened in the past. It's like he's afraid I'm going to run if we talk about it. In order for me to move on, I need to talk about it, I have to" she proclaimed.

Gabby and Sally rubbed her back in comfort. They felt really bad for her. Finally, they got up and grabbed their stuff. "Let's go Casey, these two have a lot to figure out" Gabby grabbed Matt's hand and pulled him out. "We'll be on call if you need us" Sally said as she stuck her head back in. They shut the door and laughed as Matt looked at the girls confused.

"Kelly, we need to talk" Lydia said from the couch.

Kelly came over and sat across from her at the table. "What do you want to talk about?" he asked. Lydia started playing with her hands and fiddling her fingers. She was nervous. This was not easy for her. "Well, we need to talk about what happened Kelly" she said.

"What are you talking about? If you need to talk about the head trauma, then we can" he said. She smiled and shook her head.

"That's not what I am talking about. I am talking about the past. I mean when you were getting the car today and Sally and Derek were going over my discharge and insurance and all that, I realized something. On the insurance papers, my name is still Lydia Severide. Kelly, it dawned on me that we are still married. I mean, yay we separated but Kelly, we never officially got divorced. We were just living apart" she explained.

Kelly was speechless. He couldn't believe what he was hearing. He was still married. She was still his wife. They were still together. He looked at her with tears in his eyes. Lydia was waiting for his reaction. He looked shocked. She was worried he would stop breathing.

She leaned forward and cupped his face, to try and get him to focus. "Kelly, I need you to breathe. Just take some deep breaths" she instructed. He finally took a big intake of breath and let out a gasping sob. Lydia leaned forward and wrapped her arms around his neck. She couldn't help but start crying herself.

"It's okay. Kelly, it is okay" she repeated over and over. Kelly wrapped his arm around her and held her tight against him. He buried his head in the crook of her neck and couldn't help but sob. He just got his family back. When she said they were still married, all he could see was all the wrong he did when they were apart.

He pulled away and looked at her with tears rolling down his cheeks. She cupped his cheeks and wiped his tears. She had her arms wrapped around his neck and her hands playing with the hair at the back of his neck. "I am so sorry Lydia. I let you go without a second thought. I didn't fight for you. I didn't fight for us. I…I didn't know we were still married. I promise you that if I knew I wouldn't have done what I did. I was…I had…it was just stupid. They didn't mean anything I promise you, they didn't mean anything" he cried.

Lydia smiled and went to shake her head, but thought better of it. "Kelly, I know. I know. It doesn't matter anymore. That's in the past. What matters is that we are together. We have our family back and we are going to make it work this time. I just need you to promise me something" she started.

"Anything you want. Whatever you want and I'll do it" he interrupted.

"Kelly the last time, we were both selfish. We were focused on what we wanted and not each other. I need you to promise me that we are not going to stop being ourselves. I think that was our problem last time and I don't want…I can't lose you again. Andi needs her father and I need my husband, so please promise me" she said.

He wiped her tears and leaned forward to brush his lips against hers. It only took a minute before the kiss heated up. They both poured their emotions into it. It was like they couldn't get enough of each other. She pulled him closer and leaned back against the couch so her he was on top of her. He was kneeling half on the couch, half on her.

She opened her mouth to let their tongues battle for dominance and deepened the kiss. He groaned and pulled her closer, until they were smashed together. She moaned and fought for dominance, but easily gave in when he slipped his hand under her shirt and started rubbing circles on the small of her back.

She tried to focus, but she was starting to get dizzy. She pulled away and took a second to catch her breath before she smiled up at him. He was towering over her when he noticed her catching her breath. He gave her a little quick kiss before moving to sit next to her on the couch. Lydia looked over at the back of his head and reached up to play with the hairs at the back of his neck.

"Kelly" she called.

He leaned forward to rest his head in his hands. He looked at her from over his shoulder and smiled at her. "I promise Lydia. With every fiber in my being I promise you and our daughter that you are it for me. I will lay my life down for you and her. I just want you to promise me that you won't give up on me even when I act like an ass" he declared.

Lydia slowly sat up and wrapped her arms around him from the side and kissed his temple. "I am not going anywhere husband" she teased. He chuckled and let out a breath and wiped his hands down his face before getting up and turned to her with his hands on his hips. "Come on wife, it is time for bed" he leaned forward to pick her up bridal style.

They got upstairs and stopped in the middle of the hallway. He looked at her expectantly, waiting for her to tell him where he would be sleeping. "What are you waiting for?" she asked. He looked at her confused. "What do you mean?" he replied. She smiled and cupped his cheek with her free hand, and turned his face so she could stare into his eyes. "I thought WE were going to bed?" she asked.

He smiled and walked into her bedroom. He carefully laid her in bed and walked over to the other side of the bed. He stripped down to his boxers and got comfortable in bed. He wrapped his arm around her waist and nuzzled into her shoulder.

**Thank you all for reading! Please Review!**


	7. Chapter 7

**Hi everyone, thank you all for reading and taking interest in my story! I really appreciate it! **

**Thank you to all my reviews and favorites and followers! **

**Just to clarify: Christie, Matt's sister in the show is not in this story. She does not exist. **

**Please continue to review and enjoy the story!**

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_**Previously….**_

They got upstairs and stopped in the middle of the hallway. He looked at her expectantly, waiting for her to tell him where he would be sleeping. "What are you waiting for?" she asked. He looked at her confused. "What do you mean?" he replied. She smiled and cupped his cheek with her free hand, and turned his face so she could stare into his eyes. "I thought WE were going to bed?" she asked.

He smiled and walked into her bedroom. He carefully laid her in bed and walked over to the other side of the bed. He stripped down to his boxers and got comfortable in bed. He wrapped his arm around her waist and nuzzled into her shoulder.

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**Chapter 7- The missing link**

The next day Kelly woke up first. It took him a minute to collect his bearings. He smiled at the sight below him. He was laying with his head on Lydia's shoulder, under her chin. He kissed her neck and leaned up to nuzzle her neck. He laid butterfly kisses wherever he could reach.

She woke up to feeling kisses on her cheek and neck. She smiled and wrapped her arms around his shoulders. She smiled and opened her eyes to look at him. She turned slightly sideways and smiled at the sight of him.

"Morning wife" he greeted.

She chuckled, "no, we are trying to rebuild our relationship. We have to start off slow" she said. Kelly nodded, "okay, what does that mean exactly?" he asked. He wanted to know what to and not to do. He didn't want to push her into something she didn't want.

"Okay well I don't exactly have rules or anything. But I want to start from scratch. A clean slate. Put everything in the past behind us. I know we are already married and have a baby, but I want to be a couple. Go on dates, have dinners, hang out together without expectations or pressure. I want to be wined and dined baby" she teased.

He smiled and was glad she was happy. That's all he ever wanted for her. He laughed and nodded. "Okay, so what about housing? What do we got there?" he asked. He wanted to know what to expect. She knew he wasn't going to like this one. He would put up a protest.

"Separate" she mumbled.

He sat up next to her with a deadpan look on his face. "Are you serious? Come on Lydia, we are married already. What's the big deal?" he argued.

She knew he was going to put up a fight. "Kelly, I want to be a couple again. We can't do that if we are seeing each other all the time" she reasoned.

He groaned, "Lydia Mackenzie you are the most stubborn women I know. Just because we would live together doesn't mean we can't go on dates and stuff. Come on, please just throw me a bone here" he begged.

It was cute to see him so worked up. "Kelly, we are living separately and you are going to romance me" she said in a commanding voice.

He looked at her with a smirk on his face. "Really? Is that an order?" he played along. She smiled and nodded, "yes lieutenant that's an order" she replied. He smiled. He liked her fire and her wit, that's why he married her. She was the only girl he knew that could keep up with him and put up with his crap.

"Alright fine. We live separate and I will romance you," he straddled her waist and leaned over her so he was on top of her with his arms on either side of her head resting on his forearms. His St. Florian medal was hanging off his neck, "I am going to romance you so hard, I am going to ruin you for everyone else" he teased his lips against hers.

She smiled and wrapped her arms around his neck and gave him a few kisses before he pulled away. "I'll drop you off downstairs, go get our daughter, get her bag ready and then I'll…" he was interrupted with the doorbell. Kelly looked down at Lydia curious. "You expecting anyone?" he asked.

"No but it could just be the neighbor" she replied. He nodded and went to get the door. He checked on Andi to see her still sleeping so he made his way downstairs to the door. The pounding was giving him a headache and he didn't want it to wake up Andi.

"I'm coming" he called.

When he opened the door, he was surprised to see Lena standing there with grocery bags. She looked at him standing there with his boxers on and smiled. "Good Morning Kelly" she walked in and put the bags on the kitchen table. He shut the door and walked into the kitchen behind her.

"What are you doing here?" he asked. He watched as she started taking out groceries and putting them away. She pulled out some bagels and some mashed fruit and apple sauce for breakfast for Andi. She set eggs, bacon and sausage aside for the adults.

"I am off today so I came to stay with Lydia and help her out with Andi. I don't want her to be alone while you are on shift. We are all here for you guys, you are both just too stubborn to ask for help, and so we are going to just do it" she said.

He nodded and smiled. He walked around the counter and gave her a sideways hug and kissed her head. "Thanks Lena, I am glad someone will be with her today. I was worried about her all alone" he said as he started the coffee for himself and tea for Lydia. "There was no way I was going to let buys body Mackenzie stay all alone in the house. As soon as you are gone she'll be up and about" she replied.

He nodded in agreement. "I'll go get the patient now. Andi should be getting up in a minute" he said. Lena nodded and continued to start breakfast. When Kelly got to the stairs, Lena looked up and shook her head. She had to do it, "Hey Severide" she called. He turned around and looked at her waiting for her curious. "Put some pants on for God's sake" she teased.

He laughed, "You know you love it" he replied. She laughed and shook her head. "You are horrible. Go get your wife." He made his way upstairs and smiled when he hears Andi start waking up and crying a little. He walked into her room and smiled. She was sitting up in her crib playing with her toys.

"Hey angel, give me like two minutes. I have to carry your mom downstairs" he said as if she could understand him. "No, take Andi first. I can walk myself" he heard from the other end of the hall. He turned to see Lydia standing in the doorway holding onto the frame for dear life. Kelly gave her a glare, "what are you doing out of bed?" he asked.

She glared right back at him. "Who was at the door?" she completely ignored him. "Lena, she's going to stay with you while I am on shift. She's off today. Now are you going to tell me why you are out of bed when you know you are supposed to be resting" he exclaimed.

She was supposed to be on as much rest as possible. Lydia was going crazy. Ever since Derek and Sally told Kelly that she needed to rest, he put her on bed rest. The only time she was able to get up was a few hours a day just to stretch her muscles. She wanted to be on the couch during the day so she could interact with real people.

"I am fine to get up and walk. I just have to take it easy. Now I am going into the bathroom to get ready for the day. You take our daughter downstairs and get her settled. Lena will start her breakfast. I am not going anywhere" she said slowly making her way back into the room.

Kelly shook his head as he watched her walk away. She could barely walk upright but she was determined to do it herself. Kelly walked into his daughter's room to get her. He picked her up and smiled at her. "Hi Angel, did you have a nice night?" he asked. She smiled and gurgled. He smiled and laughed. She was a total daddy's girl. He looked all her room and grimaced.

The room was so plain. Lydia didn't have time to unpack when she started at the hospital and the firehouse. Maybe that could be the first thing he does for her. He was going to set up the nursery for her. He had to figure out how to do it as a surprise and talk to Casey to help him out.

"Come on, let's go have some breakfast" he said carrying her downstairs. She smiled and squealed when she saw Lena. "Hi princess, did you have a good night with mommy and daddy? Did they keep things PG last night?" Lena teased.

Kelly handed over his daughter, "very funny. I wouldn't do that with my daughter in the next room. I am going to get Lydia" he said before bounding the stairs two at a time. When he got to their room, she was sitting on the bed still in an old squad shirt and shorts. She was too tired to change by herself. "I took Andi down. She's with Lena eating some breakfast. What do you need me to do?" he asked.

He was treading lightly. He knew this was embarrassing for her and he knew it went against everything in her to ask for help. He was the same way. That's why they fell for each other. She was blushing. She looked down trying to hide it and take a minute to collect herself. She looked up at him with tears rolling down her cheeks.

"Can you help me take a shower and change?" she asked quietly. He walked over and kneeled in front of her. He tilted her chin up so he could look into her eyes. He wiped her tears and leaned forward to give her a light kiss. "You are my wife. There is nothing to be embarrassed about. Everyone needs help in their life and as your husband I am going to be there to help you. So please let me help you" he said knowing he had to get past her defense.

She wiped her tears and wrapped her arms around his neck. He hugged her close for a minute and then kissed the top of her head before carefully picking her up bridal style. "Come on, let's go take a bath" he said. She still wasn't able to take a shower because of her stitches, so he would usually just have her sit in the tub and wash her down.

He carefully put her down on the foot of the shower. She had a little bench that was part of the shower design when she bought the apartment. She never imagined it would come in handy. Kelly stripped her of her clothes and him of his boxers. Neither were shy or embarrassed. There was nothing sexual about it…okay maybe a little. Lydia couldn't help but give Kelly a once over when he got into the shower and closed the door/curtain. She couldn't help herself. He was cute!

He got in behind her and grabbed her body wash, strawberries and cream. He lathered her up from her neck down. The pressure of the loofa against her skin and the feel of her husband behind her brought old feelings to the surface. She turned around in his arm and wrapped her arms around his neck. He was facing her with his back to the water, so she wouldn't get her stitches wet. She leaned forward and kissed him.

Before he could get a chance to pull away or protest, she deepened the kiss. His hands find their way into her wet hair around the side of her neck and into her hair. He pulls her to him deepening the kiss even further. He hears her sigh and let out a moan when his tongue beats hers for dominance and has to remind himself to go slow.

She pulls on the back of his neck to bring him in closer. He slowly walks forwards and leans her back against the cool tile. Her hair curtains his face as they continue their make out session. He breaks the kiss and presses a line of kisses down the jaw of her neck. When he found the sweet spot under her ear he tilted her head to the side for better access.

Lydia was on overdrive. The feel of his kisses, the steam of the shower, she was getting dizzy with pleasure. She holds him as close as possible. "Kelly" she moans. He pulls back at the sound of his name coming out of her lips. It brings him back to reality. He can't do this. He pulls away and looks at her with lust blown eyes, swollen lips and a tinge of pink to her cheeks.

They don't say anything as he shuts the water off and helps her out. She grabs a towel and sits on the edge of the bed. She dries herself off the best she can. Her mind is reeling. She doesn't know what to make of that. Every time she tries to get close to him, he pulls away. What is she supposed to think about that?

She walked over to her dresser and took out some sweats and an old squad 3 t-shirt of Kelly's. She wasn't going anywhere so she didn't care what she looked like. Besides, this whole thing with Severide had her confused. One minute he was hot then he was cold. Kelly was leaning on the counter in the bathroom with the same thoughts running through his head. He knew he probably just messed up, but he couldn't do it. He didn't want to go to fast.

He put on some jeans and a grey t-shirt and made his way into the bedroom. He saw Lydia already dressed, sitting on the bed waiting for him to take her downstairs. She waited to see if he would explain his actions but he didn't. He just acted like nothing happened.

"Ready?" he asked.

She nodded and put her arms out. He picked her up from bed and carried her bridal style and put her gently on the couch. "Morning Lena, thanks for staying with me today" she called from the couch. "It's not a problem. We can have a girl's day" she replied from the kitchen. She was wiping off Andi's face and hands after breakfast. She picked her up and walked her over to her mom. She leaned down and let Lydia greet Andi for a second.

"Good Morning angel cakes. Did you sleep good baby girl? We are going to have a girl's day with Aunt Lena while daddy is at work, what do you think of that?" she asked.

The little girl smiled and looked back at Kelly before turning back to her mom. "Da" she asked. Lydia smiled and kissed the little girl's forehead before handing her over to Kelly. Severide held his daughter on his hip and kissed the top of her head. "No baby girl. Daddy has to work. You are going to stay with Mommy and Aunt Lena. Then when I come home I promise we'll spend some time together okay" he said before giving her back to Lena.

It was really awkward with Lydia, so he just grabbed his duffle bag and jacket. He walked over to the couch and sat in front of Lydia. "You okay?" he asked. She smiled and wrapped her arms around his neck. "Be careful on shift please. I can't lose you" she replied. He leaned forward and gave her a quick kiss.

"Don't worry about me. I'll be okay. I will call to check on you at dinner. Do you need me to pick anything up after shift?" he asked. She pointed to the kitchen table, "there's a list on the kitchen table. Just some groceries and stuff. Everyone is going to want to come check on me tomorrow night after shift and we have no food" she said.

He nodded and got up to get the list. He put it in his wallet and put it back into his pocket. He put his jacket on and grabbed his duffle bag. He leaned over the couch and gave Lydia another kiss. She wrapped her arms around his neck and cupped his face.

"Be careful. I am serious Severide, I better not get any phone calls tonight. Be safe and don't do anything stupid" she said totally serious. He laughed and kissed her one more time before walking towards the door. "Bye angel" he yelled. Lena laughed as she bathed Andi. Once she heard Kelly call out to her she looked up and squealed while splashing. "She says bye Severide" Lena yelled back.

Kelly smiled and walked out. He threw his bag into his car and got in. He took one more look at the house before driving off. He had to remind himself to talk to Casey about getting that nursery in order. He knew the firehouse would help him out. They loved Lydia.

As soon as Kelly walked into the firehouse, he was surrounded by everyone, especially Gabby, Shay and Matt. "How's Lydia?" Gabby asked. They were all worried about that. "She's fine. She's bored as hell at home with Andi, but Lena's there. She's going to help her out tonight while I am on shift. She wants to see you all tomorrow. So you are all invited for dinner" he replied.

At the house, Lena was sitting with Lydia watching TV while Andi played in her playpen. She was filling Lena in on all the Gabby/Casey drama. There was nothing else to do.

"So what are you going to do?" Lena asked.

"Well, I was thinking of calling down to Angelo's and getting them a reservation. They need a push because they are not going to do it on their own" Lydia said.

Lena nodded and went to grab the phone. "That's a perfect idea. I'll get some note cards and we can write talking points on them because God knows they are going to be awkward" Lena said.

Lydia smiled and nodded. That was the perfect idea. Gabby and Matt belonged together, they just needed a little push to get there. The girls spent the better part of their morning planning a date night for Gabby and Matt.

The firehouse was crazy busy. They were going on calls like there was no tomorrow. **Truck 81, Ambulance 61, Engine 51, Squad 3, and Battalion 25….Construction Site 13209 W. Monroe… **the operator announced.

"Let's go" Chief Boden yelled.

Everyone jumped into action. They got in their gear and got in their respective trucks. They needed a trauma surgeon, so Gabby called Lakeshore. "This is Ambulance 61 to Lakeshore, we need a trauma surgeon to 13209 W. Monroe" she ordered. "Lakeshore to 61, trauma surgeon is on route" they announced.

At the hospital, Natalie got her bag and her coat. She and Lydia were the trauma surgeons on call for the firehouse. With Lydia out, Natalie was the next one in charge. She grabbed her bag and ran into the squad car. The cops drove her over to the site. It was mess. She saw all the fire trucks and her guys running around. They sure did have their hands full.

When they got to the construction site, it was a mess. There was obvious debris in the air. "Hey, what happened here?" Chief Boden asked one of the construction workers. "We were pouring concrete; filling in the 2nd and 3rd stories when the foundation collapsed. We've got guys buried under there" he said.

"We are going to need a two and a half up there" Chief called back. "On it Chief" another crew member said as they all took the stairs leading up to the area. "Let's go" Kelly called to his team. They needed to move quickly. "Let's get a two and a half up here from the ladder," commanded Chief Boden. The crew did as they were told. "Keep the hose coming!" he encouraged as a fire fighter brought the hose from the ladder over to them, and dropped the hose down the edge, so it was dangling right over the landing. "Charge it" suddenly the hose inflated and Otis went down first, using the hose as a pole to slide with. Casey followed, then Kelly and Cruz after that.

They went to the closest man first. Otis checked him out. He gave him a look over. "Dawson are you down there?" he asked into his radio. "Go for Dawson" the paramedic replied. "We are going to need an extract down here. He's a bit banged up but he'll be fine" he explained over the radio to Matt and Kelly.

The lieutenants started to peel away chunks of the rubble to find the other man. "I'm under here" he was calling as Kelly finally took off the last piece of rubble. "Can you sit up?" Casey asked as he helped the man. "Yeah; Peter…he was right beside me when it collapsed…there was a hole. I think he got taken down" the worker said through a grunt of pain. Kelly saw the hole, just big enough for one person to fit through. He shone his flashlight down into the darkness and saw the face of an elderly man with a nasty cut on his forehead as well as his leg trapped under a large boulder of foundation.

"Peter?" he called down. "Yeah, I knew today was going to be a bad day, I told my wife I had a premonition" he got out. "Okay, we're going to come and get you. Are you hurt?" she asked. "I can't breathe. Can't move" he answered in a labored voice.

"We'll get you out" he said solemnly before backing out and looking over to Casey. "We are going to need a trauma surgeon, three pipe poles and a saw. We need this whole opened up" he said as Casey radioed in the order. Chief Boden heard them call for a trauma surgeon. He turned and saw Natalie making her way up the staircase.

"What do we got Chief?" she asked. "We got one man pinned under. The whole is only big enough for one person. Severide has the on scene vitals. He's pretty bad off. You're the trauma surgeon, you're the final say" he said. She nodded and put on her gloves. Mills helped her to the edge and onto the pole. She nodded and he let go and she slid down.

She made her way down the pole and walked over to the scene where Kelly and Matt were. "Hey boys" she greeted. Matt looked at his sister in shock. She shouldn't be there. "What are you doing here?" Casey asked. She smiled and examined the hole. "I am your trauma surgeon while Lydia is on leave. What do we got?" she asked. Kelly led her over to the hole. She saw a man pinned under a big boulder. His stomach looked distended. She needed to get in there fast.

"Peter?" she called down. "Yeah, I knew today was going to be a bad day, I told my wife I had a premonition" he got out. She smiled, "okay, we're going to come and get you. Are you hurt? Do you feel anything?" she asked.

"I can't breathe. Can't move. Other than that, I am great" he answered in a labored voice. "We'll get you out" she said solemnly before standing up and looked over at her best friend and her brother. "We need to get this hole opened up. We need to get him out. We are going to need three pipe poles and a saw. Set it up" she said. Casey radioed in the order. She checked back in on Peter, this time with Kelly right beside her. He was holding her waist and looking over her shoulder. "How are you doing down there Peter?" she asked.

He smiled up at her weakly. "I've been better" he said and she smiled a little. She turned back to Kelly and Matt. "I am going in" Natalie said tucking her flashlight into her belt. She took off her bag and left it by Kelly and Matt. "You can't" Kelly said as at the same time as Matt said, "that's unstable."

She smiled and gave them both a look. "It's a good thing I am trained in Rescue Squad then. Besides, guys, I am the only one who could fully assess his injuries and give him treatment. Unless you two became surgeons when I wasn't looking. Matt I have to go in. He needs help" she exclaimed.

"We don't want you to hurt the baby. You can't go down there" Kelly said stubborn. He loved Natalie. She was like a little sister to him. They grew up together. He's always been protective of her. They were like two peas in a pod. Best of friends.

"Come on Kelly, I have to get in there. Don't be a stubborn ass. Just help me" she said with her hands on her hips giving him the look. He let out a defeated breath while she grinned in victory. She slowly made her way down the ladder while Kelly laid on the cement to help her. Matt stayed up top to help them out and look over the hole when needed.

"Widen the hole, step back in-case the crease decides to shift" he told them as they started to clear some rubble away from hole. "Kelly, give me my bag and keep the light down here" she said. She started talking to Peter, asking him if he could move his foot and so on. When feeling his ribs, Peter cried out and so Natalie backed off. "Okay, easy" she said and Kelly knew right away what that meant.

"Promise me one thing" Peter began, "no lies" he said. "Fair enough" Natalie nodded before going on. "I think you're bleeding internally your foot is the least of your problems" she said before turning of Severide. "Tell Mat we need this hole to open up ASAP" she informed.

Kelly looked over his shoulder and relayed the message. "Casey, we need this hole to open up" he told him. "Go Cruz" he called as Cruz lowered a saw down and began to cut away the remaining metal. "Don't worry" Natalie said as she brushed some rubble off Peter's shirt. "We'll get you back to your wife in on time" she said. "Yeah right" Peter rolled his eyes at Natalie and smiled.

"What? Are you saying I've got a bad poker face?" she asked and Peter cracked a smile. "I'm saying I'd be all in on that one" he replied which she chuckled lightly at. "Well you're talking and breathing, which is good" Kelly said smiling down into the hole, just as there was a shift in the foundation. Kelly watched as Natalie covered Peter as he grabbed a metal bar for support.

"Severide! Nattie!" Casey yelled out. "Natalie are you okay? Are you hurt? Peter?" he asked trying to find any obvious injury. "We are good. Kelly I need the surgery bag now" she said. Kelly turned to Casey and had him call Dawson. Within minutes she handed Casey the bag. He gave it to Severide, who sent it down to Natalie.

Natalie took out an IV and started and IV for Peter. He needed some liquids. "Peter, you want me to be honest with you so I am going to give it to you straight" she said. He took a ragged breath. "I'm a trauma surgeon. If you want to make it out of here, I am going to have to take off your leg, but since we are in this situation, the only way I can assess your vitals is if you keep talking and tell me how you feel" she said.

He could tell she knew what she was doing. "What's your name?" he asked. "Natalie Casey. Everyone calls me Nattie though" she replied. "And you?" he asked looking up at Kelly. "Severide, Kelly but people usually call me Severide" he answered. "Either of you married?" he asked as they both glanced at each other briefly before shaking their heads. "No, we are just best friends. Kelly is going to be married though, he's engaged" Natalie replied.

Peter smiled, "That's great Kelly, that's great. I see you're pregnant Nattie, and you're here with me" he said. Nattie smiled, "Don't worry Peter. It's my job. I am going to help you and Kelly is going to watch over me so don't worry about me" she said going through her medical bag. They really needed to get this situation moving.

"Peter, I need to take this leg off if we are going to have any hope for the future here" she said. "She's the best you're going to get Peter" Kelly added. He let out a huffed breath and nodded. "I trust you doc" he said. She nodded and got on the radio. "Dawson bring me the F-OR kit and have Mills lower me the sol saw" she said. "On it Nattie" she smiled when she heard how worried the teams were. They were all like a family and had each-others back.

"Once I set up, I am going to give you a play by play alright" she said as she got ready for surgery. "Okay, but only if one of you tells me about yourselves" he said. She looked up at Kelly for some help. "Please help me out here Kelly, I'm a little busy" she said as she took off her coat and put her gloves and moved her back so she was facing the boulder. He didn't need to see this.

"We grew up together. Me and Nattie were like the dynamic duo. Her brother is my best friend. I'm like her protector. Then I met Lydia, who was her best friend. It was Nattie that introduced me to my wife" Kelly said, "so what about you? How did you meet your wife?" he asked. His eyes were trained on Nattie the whole time. He wanted to make sure she didn't hurt the baby.

"Okay, Peter I am going to start. You are going to hear the saw but don't panic okay. Just keep talking to Kelly and please don't make any sudden movements. I gave you some morphine but I don't know if you are going to feel it because of your nerves. If you feel anything please let me know" she said, looking over her shoulder to make sure he was okay.

"Yeah okay" he said a little uneasy. She nodded and got to work. They were at it for what felt like forever but was actually 20 minutes. In the end, Nattie turned to Peter and Kelly with blood all over her. "Peter are you okay?" she asked. He smiled at her. "You did good doc. Thank you so much. I owe you my life" he said. She smiled at him and shook her head. "All I want is for you to get better, bring Georgie to the firehouse so Kelly and I can meet her" she said before reaching for her radio.

"Ryan we're ready for you down here" she said to the flight team. "On our way Nattie" he replied. Kelly took a hold of her hands and pulled her out. He took in her expression and wrapped an arm around her shoulder. He kissed her temple as tears rolled down her cheeks. "You did awesome. He's going to be okay" he said. She smiled up at him and nodded. "I know" she said as she let her blood covered glove hit the ground.

When she got to the landing she smiled and wrapped her hands around her stomach. "What's wrong?" Kelly asked. She smiled and shook her head, "nothing, the baby is moving" she took his hand and put it on her stomach. The baby was moving and it felt like fluttering.

"The perfect ending to the day. Good job little man" Kelly said as he kneeled down to her stomach. "Nice way to end the call kiddo" he said to her stomach. Natalie hit Kelly over the shoulder, "stop calling the baby him. You don't know it's a boy" she chided.

"Dr. Casey are you coming with us to the hospital?" Ryan asked. She nodded, "yeah I'll be right there" she said before turning to give Kelly a kiss on the cheek and Matt a hug before running to the ambulance. "Hey, be careful" Kelly yelled after her. She turned and laughed, "Take your own advice" she retaliated. Kelly smiled and shook his head, "smart ass" he called.

"You guys are worse than my kids" Hermann teased.

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**Thanks for reading! Please Review! There is more drama to come! **


	8. Chapter 8

**Hi Everyone! Thanks for reading and taking interest in my story!**

**This chapter will have more of the Natalie/Casey/Kelly/Lydia story. There will be some flashbacks and more of the Casey/Dawson storyline. **

**Thanks for reading and please review!**

**MMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMM**

_**Previously…**_

"The perfect ending to the day. Good job little man" Kelly said as he kneeled down to her stomach. "Nice way to end the call kiddo" he said to her stomach. Natalie hit Kelly over the shoulder, "stop calling the baby him. You don't know it's a boy" she chided.

"Dr. Casey are you coming with us to the hospital?" Ryan asked. She nodded, "yeah I'll be right there" she said before turning to give Kelly a kiss on the cheek and Matt a hug before running to the ambulance. "Hey, be careful" Kelly yelled after her. She turned and laughed, "Take your own advice" she retaliated. Kelly smiled and shook his head, "smart ass" he called.

"You guys are worse than my kids" Hermann teased.

_**KKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKK**_

**Chapter 8-The party**

With Lena and Lydia at home, they were able to get everything ready for the lunch she was having for everyone. They woke up extra early to get everything together for the guys. They got the meat for the bbq and the salads and barbeque food. Lydia wanted enough food for everyone.

After their shift ended, the guys headed out. "Hey, don't forget to come over later for the bbq" Kelly reminded everyone. "Do you need us to bring anything?" Hermann asked. Kelly shrugged, he really didn't know. "Just bring yourselves. Lena's helping Lydia with everything" he said.

Lydia was standing at the counter in the kitchen chopping some veggies for the salad when Kelly walked in. She had her music on low in the kitchen, so she didn't hear him. She was swaying to the music and chopping. She didn't notice him come in. He didn't see Lena, so he assumed that Lena was with Andi upstairs.

Kelly dropped his bags on the floor by the door and quietly made his way towards the kitchen. He wrapped his arms around her waist and kissed her cheek. She smiled and turned her head to give him a proper kiss. "Hey, how was your shift?" she asked. He laid his head in her neck and kissed it.

"It was alright. Nattie helped us out on a save. She was the leading trauma surgeon. We had a guy trapped under a boulder and he needed to get his leg amputated. It was rough, but Nattie did well" he said. Lydia smiled, "good. How's Nattie doing?" she asked. He shrugged, "not bad, she looked good. Babies doing well" he replied.

"Well, when I ran into her at the hospital, she was super excited about me and Andi coming back to Chicago. She was just talking about us getting together for lunch or something. I missed her in New York" she explained.

"Yeah, well we all missed you too. Me the most" he said nuzzling her neck. He started laying kisses along her neck. She smiled because she knew what he was doing. He used to do this often when he wanted something. "Kelly" she warned. She had to get some stuff done. She didn't have time.

"MMMHMMM" he moaned against her neck. She smiled and titled her head to the side to give him better access. She laid her head on his shoulder and stopped what she was doing and closed her eyes. She was losing her train of thought. "Kelly…" she moaned. He smiled knowing that he won her over.

He put his arms around her and moved her arms around his neck. She moaned and turned to kiss him properly. He groaned and moved the food to the side of the counter and lifted her up onto the island. She wrapped her arms around his neck and her legs around his waist.

She pressed herself deeper against him. She smiled against the kiss and wrapped her arms around him. When she really started responding to the kiss, a light bulb went off in Kelly's head and he pulled away. He looked at her and noticed her wide lust blown eyes and swollen lips. He helped her down and pulled away.

She watched him pull away confused. This was the second time he did that this week. She was starting to think that maybe she was doing something wrong. She took a minute to collect her bearings and then turned so her back was to him. She steadied herself on the counter and couldn't help the tears that rolled down her cheeks.

Kelly looked at her back and hesitated. He didn't know whether to go and explain himself, or just leave her to her own emotions. He was interrupted by baby laughter. Lena was bringing Andi downstairs. She was super excited when she saw Kelly.

"DADADADA!" she squealed.

Kelly forgot all his worries and smiled when he saw his daughter. He walked over and took her from Lena. He picked her up and held her up in an airplane hold. She was squealing and enjoying herself. He brought her down and wrapped his arms around her in a hug. She wrapped her arms around him in a hug.

"Hey Kelly, how was your shift? When are the guys coming?" Lena asked. She was completely oblivious to what just happened. She walked into the kitchen to help Lydia with the food. She was putting things in the fridge and didn't even notice Lydia's tears.

Kelly was holding Andi and playing with her when he walked into the kitchen to get her some juice. "What did you guys do last night?" he asked. Lena got the pedialite out of the fridge and gave it to him. He uncapped the princess cup and poured some in there for Andi. She loved it.

"We were devious and planned something for Matt and Gabby. They have no idea what to expect, so it should be really fun for them. I am excited to see how it all plays out" Lena informed him. He just nodded. "They need a little push to get together. We saw Natalie today. She helped us out on a call today. She should be coming by later" he replied.

"Good. I miss Nattie. I haven't seen her since Andi was born and she came to the hospital in New York" Lena replied.

Kelly nodded and couldn't help but think of the day Lydia told him she was pregnant. It was so surprising. They weren't expecting it.

**LLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLL-Flashback-LLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLL**

_Lydia was just getting off shift when she picked up a pregnancy test. She was home for the weekend to see her brother when she got the positive pregnancy test._

_She couldn't believe this happened. They were separated. This wasn't supposed to happen. She had to tell him. He was going to be devastated. He was just getting on Squad._

_She picked up her phone and called Kelly. He was just getting off work at the firehouse. "Severide" he answered. "Hey Kelly it's me Lydia" she greeted. He put his bag in the car and just sat there. He knew she was in town. "Hey, what's up? When are you leaving?" he asked._

_She plopped down on the couch, "Kelly we need to talk. Can you come over? I'm at Jamie's" she said. Kelly could tell she was really serious. "Are you okay Lydia?" he asked. They may not be together anymore, but he still cared about her. He still loved her._

_She let out a breath and tried to contain her tears, "Yeah we need to talk Kelly. I need you to come over please" she was begging. He nodded, "yeah I'll be right there" he said. She hung up and prepared herself. She had on leggings and one of his old shirts with a belt in the middle. She went to the kitchen and took out some food for him. _

_She knew he was getting off of work and he would be hungry. She used to do those things when they were still together, but she couldn't help it. Just as she was setting the table for them, her phone rang. It was her best friend Natalie. She only told one person she was pregnant. Natalie was with her in the hospital when she took the test. _

"_Hello" she answered. "Hey, just called to check on you. How are you doing?" Natalie asked. She was still at the hospital. She knew that Lydia was freaking out. She was with her when she did the pregnancy test. "I am freaking out Nat. I just called him and told him to come over. I am just getting some breakfast ready for him" she said._

_Natalie couldn't help but smile. She knew they still cared for each other. "Lydia, why are you making him breakfast? You guys aren't together anymore. What are you going to say? How are you going to tell him you're having his baby? I mean I have been talking to Matt and he said that Kelly is really close to making Squad" she replied._

_Lydia just let the tears fall. She couldn't believe this was happening. "I know Nattie, I can't do this. I can't tell him. He is going to hate me. This is going to ruin his life" she cried. She was the responsible girl, she wasn't supposed to get pregnant. "Lydia get a hold of yourself. You are a brilliant trauma surgeon and a kick ass firefighter. You are going to be fine. I have to go but if you need me, call me" she tried to calm her down._

"_Thanks Nattie" Lydia replied before letting her go. _

_She turned and put some eggs and bacon on the stove. She couldn't help it. Cooking kept her calm. She knew he was going to be hungry. She also figured it would be better to get him in a good mood after his shift. Sometimes they were just too intense. _

_KNOCK! KNOCK!_

_The whole way to the apartment, Kelly couldn't help but think of how worried and scared Lydia sounded over the phone. That bothered him. She was never like that. She was a tough ass. That's why he married her to begin with. He was kind of worried at what he was going to find._

_She jumped when she heard the knock at the door. She put down the spatula and made her way to the door. She took a breath to gather her courage before she opened the door. He looked her over and saw how disheveled she looked. She had on leggings, black boots, and a Squad 3 shirt. Her hair was up in a bun and she had her glasses on. She looked like she had tear stains running down her cheeks._

"_Hi Kelly, thanks for coming" she said moving out of his way to open the door. He followed her in. "Make yourself at home. I have some breakfast for you. Are you hungry?" she asked. He put his stuff down on the couch in the living room and followed her to the kitchen. "I could eat" he replied._

_She fluttered around the kitchen and got him a plate. She put the food on the island and set everything up for him. He was just watching her. He knew something was really wrong. "Lydia are you okay?" he asked. She stopped and kept her back to him. She tried to hold back her tears but she couldn't. _

_Kelly got up and walked around to her. He didn't know whether to wrap his arms around her or not. She turned and wrapped herself around him. She buried her head in his chest and cried. He wrapped his arms around her and kissed the top of her head. He knew something was wrong. _

"_Lydia, what is it? You are scaring me" he said as he comfortingly rubbed her back. She pulled away a little and looked up at him with tears rolling down her cheeks. He wiped her tears and cupped her cheeks. "Lydia, please tell me what's wrong?" he begged._

_She let out a nervous breath and pulled away. She went into the bathroom and grabbed her pregnancy test. She walked out and passed it to Kelly. He looked between her and the test confused. "I'm pregnant Kelly. We are having a baby" she said._

_He just looked at her shocked. He didn't know what to say. He watched as she looked at his face for a reaction and he could see her getting sad. She started to cry but he put the test on the table and wrapped his arms around her. _

_She wrapped her arms around him and sighed in relief. "Don't worry about anything. We are going to figure this out" he promised her._

_**LLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLL-End Flashback-LLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLL**_

He was brought out of his daydream by the squeals of his daughter. She was playing with her fire trucks and crawling around the playroom. Kelly watched her with a smile on his face. She truly was his pride and joy. He grabbed the Squad truck and laid on his stomach next to her.

"You know, this is what daddy drives at work. This is the Squad 3 truck and you are holding Truck 81. That's Uncle Matt's truck. But daddy's is better" he said.

"Ace?" she asked.

Kelly smiled and set up the little track for her. Even though she was a girl, he still bought her boy toys. She loved them none the same. As long as she had someone to play with and some way to entertain herself, she loved it.

He put her in his lap and held the controller. He was showing her how to do it and moved his body the way the car was moving and Andi was laughing and squealing uncontrollably. She was having the time of her life. Andi was clapping and holding on to her dad.

Lena noticed how sad Lydia had gotten. "Hey, you okay?" she asked her friend. Lydia smiled and nodded. She didn't want to devel into her confusing sexual frustration with Kelly. She couldn't tell whether he really wanted to be with her or whether he didn't. He kept playing the push and pull game with her.

"I'm fine. Just tired. They look so cute" she said referring to Kelly and Andi. She walked over and grabbed her camera. She stood outside the gate of the playroom and snapped a few pictures of them. They were so cute. She was sure to unpack all Andi's stuff and got her stuff together. She set up the playroom and the kitchen. She still had to set up the bedrooms and decorate with the finishing touches.

They were still making the food when everyone started arriving. The guys from the firehouse came first. "It smells amazing in here" Matt said as he came and gave Lydia a kiss on the cheek. She smiled up at him, "well I hope you are all hungry because Lena and I have been cooking all day" she replied.

"You know these boys, they can eat anytime" she heard. She turned to see Natalie Casey walk in and stand there with her hands on her hips. Lydia smiled and wrapped her up in a hug. "I missed you skittles" she said. Lydia used to call Nattie skittles because she always ate skittles during medical school and residency. "I missed you all too. Where's my baby girl?" she asked.

Lydia pointed to the play room. Nattie made her way over to the playroom and got over the gate. She kneeled down and scooped Andi up in a big hug. "Hi baby girl, you probably don't remember me but I was there when you were born. You are so big now" she squealed. Andi was smiling and just looking at Natalie. She didn't remember her, but she was excited. "This is Uncle Matt's sister" Kelly said.

Andi's eyes brightened up at the mention of her Uncle Matt. "Att?" she asked. Natalie smiled. "Yeah I'm Uncle Matt's sister" she said. She gave Andi one more kiss and let her go play. Then she rounded on Severide. She could tell there was something wrong with Lydia when she walked in. The light in her eyes wasn't there.

"Kelly what did you do to Lydia?" she asked. He looked at her confused. "What are you talking about? I didn't do anything" he tried to defend himself. Nattie gave him a 'yeah right' look. "I saw the look on her face. She is hurting and confused. What did you do?" she asked. Kelly looked down guilty. There were only 3 women who could read him like a book; Natalie, Lydia and Shay. He could get away with a lot of things, but he couldn't get anything past them.

Derek and Sally packed up at the hospital and made their way to Lydia's apartment. They stopped at the pizzeria and picked up a pizza. They didn't know that Lydia was making all this food because she couldn't be on her feet. They knew she wasn't supposed to be up and cooking. She was supposed to be resting.

They all wanted to check on Lydia and see how she was doing. Kelly told them about unpacking the house and getting the nursery set up for Andi. They all wanted to help him out. They would do anything for each other. They were excited to get to know Lydia again.

Lena helped Lydia to the bathroom while everyone else got everything set up. Derek, Matt, Kelly and the rest of the firehouse made their way into the house. "Kelly and Matt you better get your butts outside and start barbequing these burgers and kibobs" Gabby said as she took over for Lena and Lydia in the kitchen.

When Lydia came back into the living room, Lena deposited her on the couch. "You have over exerted yourself enough today. Take a breather while we get everything ready for you" Lena said. Kelly came over and sat next to her for a second. "Hey, are you okay?" he asked. She looked really pale and worn out. She smiled up at him and nodded, "I am fine, just tired" she replied. He nodded and leant forward to give her a little kiss.

He went out to get the grills and start barbequing. He was next to Matt who was grilling on the next grill. "What is going on with you and Lydia?" Matt asked. Kelly hung his head, "have you been talking to your sister? Why does everyone assume it was me?" he replied. Matt laughed, he knew that Natalie would pick up on it. He wasn't surprised she called Kelly out on it. "I know something is up because Nat is giving you the look and Lydia looks confused. She keeps looking at you like she's trying to figure you out. Besides, you guys are always push and pull. It's what you do" he replied.

"Well we keep having these moments and I keep pushing her away. I just don't want to push her too much. I mean she just got out of the hospital" he tried to defend himself. "Kelly, she loves you and you love her. Come on, you can't play with her emotions like that. It's not right" Matt reprimanded. "Well what am I supposed to do, jump her when I first walk in?" he argued.

Matt put his hands up in surrender. "I am just saying. Talk to her" he replied. Kelly nodded and knew what the point was. Matt always gave him good advice. "Okay, I'll talk to her when everyone leaves" he replied.

Lydia laid on the couch with her feet up on the coffee table. "Gabby are you going to tell me what's going on with you and Matt?" she asked. Gabby looked up from the kitchen confused. "There is nothing going on?" she said. All the girls gave her a look. "We know there is something going on so you might as well admit it" Shay replied.

"Well I have feelings for him, but he just broke up with Hallie and I don't want things to be weird between us. I don't want to be his rebound girl" she confessed. The girls smiled, "don't worry Gabby you are not going to be his rebound girl" Shay said.

Once the food was done barbequing, they all helped themselves. "Damn Lydia, this is delicious" Cruz commented. Lydia laughed, "good, enjoy it" she replied.

After everyone left, Matt and Gabby helped Kelly put everything away and clean up after the party. Gabby was packing the food in the containers and putting them away while Kelly washed the dishes. It was the perfect opportunity for her to put her plan in motion.

"Matty, can you help me upstairs to change?" she asked. Kelly came over, but Lydia stopped him. "Let me help you" he said leaning over to help her up. "No, I want Matty to help me. You help Gabby clean the kitchen and put the food away. While you are in there, pack some pasta and chicken with some pudding for Andi tomorrow" she said. He looked at Matt suspiciously before walking back into the kitchen. "You don't drop her Matt or so help me" Kelly threatened. Lydia rolled her eyes at her husband, "Severide relax" Lydia said. Kelly nodded and put his hands up in defense, "fine" he replied.

Matt came over to the couch and wrapped his arm under Lydia's knees and one arm around the middle of her back and picked her up. Lydia squealed and wrapped her arm around his neck. "Matt!" she squealed. He smiled and walked upstairs with her in his arms.

They walked into her room and he placed her on the bed. "I have some sweats and an academy t-shirt in the top drawer" she said. He picked them up and placed them on the bed. "Do you need underwear or a bra or something?" his face was bright red. It was funny how embarrassed he was getting.

Lydia smiled and squeezed his cheeks. "You are so cute Matty! Don't worry, I have underwear and a bra on. All you need to do is help me put my clothes on. I wore myself out today" she said. He nodded and helped her up. He helped her take off her shirt and shorts. Then he helped her change into her new clothes. "There you go. All set" he said. "Thanks Matty. I want to talk to you for a second" she said.

Downstairs, Kelly's eyes followed Matt all the way upstairs. "I wonder what they are talking about up there" he said as he helped Gabby pack up the kitchen. "I think I know what they are talking about" Gabby said looking up sheepish. Kelly looked over at her curious. "What are they talking about then?" he asked her. He's never seen Gabby like this before. She was always the headstrong type. "I kind of like Matt" she said really fast.

"No freaking way! I knew you liked Casey!" he asked. She glared up at him. "Yes, I like him. Before he was with Hallie and I was with Peter, but then now he broke up with Hallie when Lydia was in the hospital. She made him choose between them and us and he chose us. But then he never elaborated, that was just it. I was telling Lydia about it, so I think she is talking to him about it" Gabby said. Kelly wrapped an arm around Gabby's shoulders. "Don't worry. Lydia will figure it out and put him together for you" he teased. Gabby nudged him in the ribs.

Upstairs, they were having slightly the same talk. Matt sat next to Lydia on the bed. "What's going on? Are you okay?" he asked. She smiled and nodded, "yeah, I am fine. I want to talk to you about something else though" she said. He shrugged and came next to her. He wrapped his arm around her and rubbed her arm up and down. "What's up Lydia?" he asked.

She let out a breath and put her hands in her lap. "I heard some interesting news today" she said. He looked at her curious, "really, what did you hear?" he asked. "Well, I heard that you broke up with Hallie and I want to know what this means now for you and your love life" she said.

He got up and started pacing. "Yeah, it was actually when you were in the hospital and Severide asked Gabby and I to watch Andi. Hallie was over and she wanted me to choose between Gabby and Andi and her. I couldn't believe she did that, but made the choice. I chose Andi and Gabby. Like what the hell, why did she make me choose? Now I have to figure it out" he said.

Lydia nodded in understanding and rubbed a hand up and down her back. "Matt you will, but in the meantime, you need to stop sending Gabby the wrong messages. I mean you know that she has feelings for you. Don't tell her I told you this, but she thought you bonded with Andi when you were watching her. Tell me, she is telling the truth? Did you bond with my baby girl while I was in the hospital?" she teased.

She could already tell the answer when he started blushing. Lydia couldn't help but laugh. She loved that he would admit it. She wanted Gabby and Matt to be together since she met them. She's known Matt forever and he was the sweetest guy any girl will ever have the pleasure of calling him hers. Any girl would be lucky to have him. He always looked out for her as a kid; Matt came to her defense where Severide liked to tease her.

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**Thanks for reading! Please Review!**


	9. Chapter 9

**Hi everyone! Thanks for reading and taking interest! **

**This is another chapter in our journey. Since we got some Casey/Dawson in the last chapter, this will only elaborate more on that!**

**Hope you all enjoy!**

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_**Previously...**_

She could already tell the answer when he started blushing. Lydia couldn't help but laugh. She loved that he would admit it. She wanted Gabby and Matt to be together since she met them. She's known Matt forever and he was the sweetest guy any girl will ever have the pleasure of calling him hers. Any girl would be lucky to have him. He always looked out for her as a kid; Matt came to her defense where Severide liked to tease her.

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**Chapter 9- The date Part 1**

"Matt, do you remember that day in high school when we had that half day from school? You, me and Kelly walked back to the firehouse and got ourselves into some trouble" she teased at the memory. He chuckled and nodded; "if I remember correctly, it was you and Kelly who got into trouble, I was the lookout" he defended himself. She laughed and held her hands up in surrender, "oh excuse me, you were still guilty by accessory" she teased. He nodded and looked as if he was remembering the day, just as she was.

"Bullshit! You and Kelly were the biggest trouble makers. You always dragged me down" he accused. She turned to glare, "Matty, my point is you were always loyal. You never gave up on us. You wanted the best for us. You need to be that way for Gabby okay" she pointed out.

They both remembered that day like it was yesterday. They really did get into tons of trouble.

**LLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLL-Flashback-LLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLL**

**Kelly= 18**

**Matt= 17**

**Lydia= 16**

**NOTE: It was before Kelly and Lydia got together. This was the start of their relationship!**

_Lydia, Matt and Kelly were all walking home from school. They wanted to go to the firehouse, so they could see their siblings and parents. Kelly's dad was the Squad Lt; Matt's brother worked with Lydia's brother in Squad Team 3. They walked into the firehouse to see the garage empty._

"_Where are they?" Kelly asked. Lydia pushed her way in between the boys and turned to walk backwards, so she could face them, "they are probably in the squad room" she said leading the way. As expected, all the guys were sitting around waiting for a call. They greeted the group loudly when they saw them. "Hey, would you look who it is, it's the college bound kids" Jason, one of the Squad members teased. Jamie, Kat's brother; Mark, Matt's brother; and Benny Severide came over to greet their family members._

"_So, how was school?" Jamie asked. "We did well. School was great. We had a half day today. Instead of going home, we wanted to come here" Lydia replied to her brother. "Oh good. So did you have fun today?" Benny asked. Matt and Lydia scoffed, "I know Kelly did" she said. Benny and the brothers looked at him surprised. "What the hell did you do Severide?" Mark asked. "I didn't do anything. I just got some numbers today" he said with a smirk._

"_You know maybe if you thought with your head brain rather than your lower brain, you would have done a hell of a whole lot better in school than you did" she said. The guys couldn't help but snicker when Kelly's face fell. "Why don't you put your actions were your mouth is? All you do is talk, let's see the mighty Lydia Mackenzie in action" he said walking up to her so they were face to face. Lydia looked him straight in the eye. There was no way in hell she was backing down from his challenge. Someone needed to push Kelly Severide off his pedestal. _

"_Time and Place" she said. He smirked and looked back at the Squad Team who were watching the couple amused. "Hey dad, you mind if we use your squad equipment?" he asked. "You sure about this?" Benny asked. Kelly looked and Lydia and cocked his head, challenging her even more. She looked at Benny and nodded, "who in their right mind would miss a chance to see Kelly Severide get beat by a girl?" she teased. _

_Benny nodded, "okay, set it up boys he said to his squad team. The boys scattered and started to get the course ready for the kids. They had each done the course tons of times before. They were both stubborn and wouldn't give up until someone won._

_The guys got the course set up. Lydia went with Jamie to change. She put on her volleyball shorts and top. She was tying her hair back into a ponytail when Matt came in. "Lydia, come on. He is just teasing you. You don't have to do this" he said. She smiled at her friend. He was always the peace maker between Kelly and Lydia._

_They were the stubborn ones. "Matty, come on. He is always in my face. I need to do this. I need to prove to him that I am just as good as he is and better. He needs to get knocked off his high horse" she said. Matt understood. Kelly picked on her more than anyone. "Okay, let's go kick some ass" he said. She smiled and walked out with him._

_In the men's locker room, Kelly and Benny were having a similar conversation. "Kelly, why are you always instigating fights with this girl? Leave the poor girl alone" Benny said to his son as he got ready. "Dad, she always acts like she is better than me. Now I am going to prove that I am better than her" he said before walking out. Benny looked at his squad, who all had the same look on their faces._

"_This is going to end badly." Mark, Jamie and Benny all stood in front of the group. Jamie stood with his sister, while Matt and Kelly stood with Benny. "Are you sure you want to do this and become competitors?" Benny asked._

"_Yeah I am ready. Thanks Benny, and I am sorry, but I am going to whop your son's ass" she said. He couldn't help but laugh and held up his hands. "I am Switzerland. You all know the course; I don't have to do over everything. I want this to be fair and everyone equal in opportunity. Good luck and get ready" he said._

_Lydia and Kelly started at the same entrance. They were both really ready. They just wanted to prove each other wrong so much, that nothing else mattered. They got all their required gear on for the zero visibility, find our fire fighter, disable PASS alarms and drag him to the extraction point. Kelly was wearing his dad's gear, while Lydia was wearing her brothers. _

"_PASS ALARMS" Benny yelled and watched as they turned theirs on, "And GO!" he yelled._

_Both Lydia and Kelly had done this drill various times before. When Benny called go, they dropped to their knees and followed the sound of their dummy firefighter. Once Lydia reached her dummy, she disabled the alarm and hurriedly dragged him to the open garage door. She didn't even look to see where Kelly was. The one thing her brother told her in the locker room was don't look back and give it your all, so that's what she did._

_Kelly saw Lydia get to her dummy first. He made his way over, disabled the alarm and bounded for the garage door. He was just a fraction behind her. He would not let her win. There was no way. He wanted to prove it to her that he was better than her._

"_Come on Lydia! Come on little sister! Kick some ass" Jamie was cheering her on. _

"_She's actually winning" one of the squad members said._

"_She's kicking his ass. MOVE IT SEVERIDE! HAUL ASS" another member yelled at the two teens._

_Lydia made it to the door first and stood up her dummy. Once his feet were touching the ground, Benny stopped the stop watch._

"_TIME" he yelled._

_Lydia and Kelly pulled their masks off. Lydia was so happy she couldn't stop smiling. She knew she had done well. Kelly was praying that he made it. He wasn't sure, but he knew that if he didn't he would never live this down._

_Benny looked at his stop watch in utter disbelief. He did not believe the numbers on his screen. Everyone was looking at him expectedly. "What is it Lt? Who won?" Mark asked. He was more intrigued then any. He has known the kids for as long as they were born. He knew the secret tension between Kelly and Lydia…his brother had to be the peacemaker between the two._

_Kelly and Lydia both took the stopwatch from Benny and looked at it. Lydia was looking at it over Kelly's shoulder. They were all waiting to see who won. It all depended on this. _

"_Lydia on with a time of Two fifty-six" he said. Lydia dropped her dummy and ran into her brothers arms. She jumped him with her legs around his waist with her hands pumped in the air and a big smile on her face. "Good Job Lyd!" he cheered._

_Kelly grabbed the time piece. "No freaking way!" he announced. "I am sorry son, but she wiped the dust with you" Benny said sympathetically. _

_Lydia got down from her brother and walked over to Kelly. She put her hands on his shoulders and stood on her tip toes so she was face to face with Kelly. He looked at her confused and curious. She leant forward and kissed his cheek. She lingered there and went to his ear, "good try but I guess you just weren't good enough" she said kissing him one last time before pulling away._

_She walked over to Matt and gave him a hug and a kiss on the cheek. Kelly was watching jealous. He didn't like how Matt was holding her. "Oh, so you can kiss me then you go and kiss Matt, what the hell?" Kelly asked. Lydia turned and glared. She let out a breath and mentally counted to ten. "Kelly grow-up. You are just a sore loser" she said._

_**Ambulance 61, Squad 3, Truck 81…Construction Site Crash…**_

_The teams got into gear. Mark, Benny, and Jamie all stuck their heads out of the windows and said all at the same time, "BEHAVE AND BE NICE!" Jamie added for reassurance, "SEVERIDE, LYDIA BEHAVE!" he knew those two. They were always at each other's throats. _

_The kids all stood there and nodded. Lydia and Kelly were glaring at each other. Matt was standing in the middle of them. Once all the trucks rolled out, they turned to each other and were ready to pounce on each other. Matt stood in the middle of them and put his hands out. "Whoa, whoa, whoa…you guys are not going at it with each other" Matt said._

"_Okay then, let's do this like fire fighters. We'll see who can get their gear on and off the fastest" Kelly said. "Are you kidding me? Do you really only think about competitions?" she asked. He smiled and smirked at her. "What are you afraid I'll beat you?" he replied. She cocked her head and smirked, "Let's do it!" she said._

"_Matt you stand watch" Kelly said before they walked into the dress room. They stood there ready to go. Matt knocked on the door to indicate go time. Lydia took off all her clothes so she was just in her undies. Kelly couldn't help but stare at her. She was hot and he couldn't help but notice._

"_Damn Lydia, you are hot" he said before walking forward and pushing her against the wall. She was only dressed in her brother's pants and a staples bra, because she wore a strapless dress to school. She looked up at him confused._

"_What the hell are you doing Kelly?" she asked. He smiled, leaned down and smashed his mouth onto hers. She was shocked at first, so she didn't respond, but when she got over it, she wrapped her arms around his neck and deepened the kiss. He smiled against her lips and pulled her up so she had to wrap her legs around his waist._

_Matt was standing outside the door waiting. He didn't hear anything, so he was getting concerned, but he couldn't go check on them, because the trucks were back. Their family members came down, unloaded their gear, and looked at Matt curious. _

"_Where are the other two?" Jamie asked. Before Matt could answer, they heard banging coming from the dress room. Matt opened the door and walked in, followed by the fire fighters. They were shocked at the two teens in a hot make out session._

_&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&-__**End Flashback**__-&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&_

Matt and Lydia laughed at the memory. "Yeah, that day did not end well. But I did learn something about you" she said looking at her best friend. He looked at her curious. "What's that?" he asked. "That you would do anything for the people you care about. So please take my advice and open your heart to Gabby and you won't be disappointed" she said. "I'll think about it" he said. She nodded and grabbed his waist to walk out.

He wrapped his arm around her waist and picked her up. He carried her back downstairs.

Downstairs, Kelly noticed Gabby looking at the stairs every five minutes. "Gabby, she is going to be okay. She is going to tell him to get with you now that Hallie is out of the picture" he said. "Kelly, don't say that. I don't want to be his rebound girl. I want to be his girl. The one he comes home to. The one who tells his problems to; the one who cooks for him, does his laundry, cleans his house…" she cried.

Kelly was never good when the girl started crying so he decided to make light of the situation. "Well I hate to break it to you Gabs, but the woman you just described is Lydia. She is like his mother. He asks her to do everything for him. I think he needs to get with you so he can leave my fiancé alone" he teased.

Gabby couldn't help but laugh and give him a hug. Kelly wrapped an arm around Gabriella's shoulders and pulled her into him. She slapped his chest in joking. "Kelly" she said. He rubbed her shoulder, "don't worry, it'll work out" he said. Then their attention was at the stairs because Matt and Lydia had come down. They stood at opposite ends of the apartment staring at each other.

Matt put Lydia on the couch and got her comfortable. He looked up at Gabby and Kelly and smiled at the look on Gabby's face. Kelly was watching the interaction between the two. He could see what Gabby was talking about right away, so he decided to help them out.

Kelly knew about Lydia's plans to get Casey and Gabby together, so he decided to speed things along. He knew that Matt needed to get this relationship going. He would never do it on his own, he needed a little push. He decided to give his friend a little push.

"Hey Casey, how do you feel about Dawson here?" he asked. Everyone turned to look at him like he was crazy. Lydia met his eyes, so she gave him a look over the couch. She gave him a look like, _what the hell are you doing?_ He just nodded at her and shook it off, as if saying, not to worry.

"What are you talking about Severide? We work together. How am I supposed to feel?" he was trying to down play it. He knew telling Severide was a bad idea. What the hell was he doing? This is what he gets for telling Severide about his personal life.

Lydia knew he was deflecting. They had already talked about all this when they were upstairs. It looks like Kelly and Gabby were having a similar conversation. They were all really good friends, so of course if two people from their firehouse family like each other, the others are going to help. They are going to pushed them together.

"Matty, we already talked about this upstairs. It's obvious to anyone with eyes that you two like each other. Since you were less than subtle when trying to get Kelly and me together, I am going to help you out. I am going to plan a nice dinner for you two. Lena and I have a whole date set up for you. You are going to dinner and enjoy each other's company. Am I understood?" she stated.

Everyone, especially Kelly, Gabby, Leslie, Matt and Lena knew not to mess with Lydia when she got like this. She was in commander mode. She was worse than a General in the United States Marine Corps. She was like a freaking drill sergeant. She was not to be messed with when she was in general mode. Kelly smirked and looked back at the couple.

"Yes, you are understood. Just…uh…send me the information and everything. I have to go" Matt said before he bolted out of there. Gabby finally let out a breath she was holding. She walked over and wacked Kelly in the stomach.

He was caught by surprise, so he grunted and hunched over holding his stomach. "OW, what the hell was that for?" he asked. Both Gabby and Lydia glared at him. "You know what that was for" Lydia said.

Gabby shook her head and wiped a hand down her face. She was so embarrassed. "God, no one can tell you anything Severide" she teased. He put his hands up in surrender, "what? I was just trying to help" he said.

"Lydia, I have to go. I'll see you later. Call me if you need anything" she said before leaving. Lydia couldn't help but shake her head at Kelly's antics. He was exactly the same. He looked out for his friends in a way that only he could pull off. On the outside, Kelly was a tough, no-nonsense lieutenant; but on the inside, he was like a big teddy bear. He only wanted to see his friends happy.

Matt and Gabby went home to sleep on the idea of the date. They didn't know that their friends would try something like this. It was sweet of them, but it was a sudden thing. They didn't expect it.

**The next day…**

With Lydia on resting orders, she was going crazy. Ever since Derek and Sally told Kelly that she needed to rest, he put her on his own form of bed rest. He wouldn't let her do anything. She was slowly getting better and only had a few more weeks to go on her rest period. She was progressing slowly day by day.

Kelly carried her downstairs and deposited her on the couch. He at least let her downstairs so she could see real people. For the past few weeks Lena, Gabby or Shay have been rotating shifts. They stayed with her until Kelly came home or someone else came by.

"There you go princess" he teased. He knew that she was having a hard time. She was at least getting a little better and was getting her energy back. "Thank you" she protested. She hated being treated like a baby. He looked at her pouting form and let out a laugh. "You are welcome. Now I shouldn't be late tonight. I am just working the day shift. Boden called second shift and told them to replace us tonight" he informed.

She nodded and smiled up at him. She was still confused as hell with his whole push and pull behavior, but he was her life. She loved him. No matter what, he still managed to make her smile. "Don't forget to remind Gabby and Matt that they are coming over to get ready for the date" she said.

He laughed and nodded. She was so excited for this date. She was probably more excited than Matt and Gabby. "You got it. You do know that you are more excited than the actual couple right?" he teased. She laughed, "Yeah I know. I can't help it" she replied.

"Okay, I'll see you later. If you need me then call me" he ordered. She smiled at him and gave him a fake salute, "Yes Sir" she teased. He gave her a look. "I am just looking out for you. Behave yourself" he replied. She put her arms out to get closer to him. He leaned down so she could wrap her arms around his neck. "I know you are only looking out for me and I love you for it. Now go to work and promise me to be careful" she said closing the distance between them so she could kiss him. He cupped her cheek with one hand and supported his weight on the couch with the other hand and returned the kiss. When he pulled away, he gave her one quicker kiss before moving to the playpen.

He bent over and gave Andi a kiss. "Bye baby. I have to go to work, so you be good for your mom today. I will be back later and we can play some more okay? I promise. Love you angel" he said giving her a quick kiss before leaving.

Lydia couldn't do anything else, so she leaned back into the couch and got comfortable. Andi was settled in her playpen, fed and changed. She was content with her toys so she occupied herself. Lydia grabbed the remote from the table and turned on the TV. There was nothing else she could do, so she figured she would catch up on some soaps.

**At the firehouse**

_As soon as Kelly walked into the firehouse, he was surrounded by everyone, especially Gabby, Leslie and Matt. "How's Lydia?" Gabby asked. They were all worried about her. "She's fine. She's bored as hell at home with Andi all alone, but she's getting better. Starting to get her energy back. When I left, she was watching soap operas" he replied. "Well, we plan on checking on her after shift and tell her we are bringing food so she better not cook" Matt said._

_He knew that Kelly was going to call to check on Lydia. Kelly nodded and smirked at him and Gabby. Lydia told him to remind the couple about the date. "Not you and Dawson. Lydia wanted me to remind you that you two are to show up at the apartment to get ready for your date" he said smirking. They both blushed, "I am going to get ready with Lydia and the girls. I have to go stock the rig" she took off. _

_She just had to get out of that situation. It was awkward enough. Thankfully, they were kept distracted with the abundant amount of calls they had. There was one call in particular that got all hands on deck. They were at a construction warehouse. A man had a pole stuck in his thigh. It was cut in half and was a through and through._

_They quickly got him into the ambulance with Kelly and Matt in toe. "Jake I know it hurts, but I need you to try and be calm for me. We are giving you some pain meds but I doubt you will feel them because your nerves are pretty bad. So we are going to try something else" Gabby said._

"_3 minutes out" Leslie announced._

"_Okay Jake, I want you to close your eyes and think of your best memory. Think of the time when you were the happiest" Gabby said. They could all see Jake visibly start to relax. "Good Jake. Now, while you are thinking of that, I want you to take some deep breaths and calm down" she said._

_He visibly relaxed and calmed. They made it to the hospital in minutes. As soon as they got into the Trauma Bay, Leo helped Gabby and Leslie pull the stretcher into the exam room. "What do we got?" Leo asked. Gabby and Shay relayed Jake's vitals._

"_Page Dr. Casey NOW" he yelled to the resident. They paged Natalie. She came running down from her office. She stopped short when she saw Kelly and Matt. She instantly panicked. Her page was very vague. "What happened?" she asked as she tied up her hair._

"_Big trauma call. His hand is holding on by thread, literally and he's got an aluminum pipe through and through in his thigh. The only problem is that it's an arch into his lower abdomen" Leo said. She nodded and walked around to assess the damage. "Okay, Matty, Kelly I need you to take this thing off" she said. Kelly and Matt got to work taking off the metal cage holding his hand. _

_They stood back and watched as she got to work. "Holy hell, his hand is going to fall off. There is no way his hand is going to survive" Sally said. Natalie and Leo both looked at her and shook her head. "No, I've seen this happen before. We can save him and he can survive" Natalie said._

"_Who have you seen do this?" one of the residents asked._

"_The only doctor in this hospital even remotely capable of doing this is out on leave right now" Leo replied._

"_I'll call Lydia" Natalie pulled out her phone and dialed. They put her on speaker._

_Lydia was watching General Hospital and going over some charts from the hospital when the phone rang. She has AT&T cable, so the caller ID showed up on the TV. She smiled when she saw it was Natalie. She figured she was probably calling to check in on her. _

"_Hey Skittles, what's up?" she greeted._

_Natalie and the firemen smiled. "Hey Lydia, listen Squad brought in a huge trauma. It's a double decker and the only doctor I know of to ever fix one of these is you. We need your help" Natalie said. Lydia paled, "are the boys okay?" she asked. She wouldn't be able to focus until she knew they were alright. _

_Natalie looked up at Kelly and Matt expectantly. "We're fine Lyd. We got the guy out and into the ED but Nattie needs your help. It's pretty bad" Kelly replied. _

_Lydia nodded and took out her medical bag. She was going to do this with Natalie. "Okay Nattie, you and Leo are going to have to do this. I'll be right there with you over the phone" she said. They all nodded and got to work. Kelly and Matt were told to stay in case they needed to get through the pipe._

_They got everything set up. Natalie, Sally and Leo gowned up. They got as ready as humanly possible. "Okay Lydia, we are ready" Leo said._

_Lydia nodded. "Okay, are Kelly and Matt still there?" she asked. "We're here" Matt called. "Okay, you guys need to cut that pipe in half. Once that is done, cut it the shortest it can go. Leo, stabilize his neck so he can't move. Jay, put him out. Sally, grab as many sponges as you possibly can. You are going to have to keep the pipe stable while they cut it" she instructed. _

_As they got prepared to do what they heard, Lydia took a breath. She knew they were panicking. "Take a breath Nattie. You guys are going to be fine. Can Jake hear me?" she asked. She knew that the anesthetic wouldn't work, because his nerves were shot to hell. _

"_Yeah go ahead" Sally said._

"_Jake, my name is Lydia. I am a doctor. You are going to be okay. I know it hurts but I want you to focus on Leo okay. He is going to be there with you the whole time I promise. We gave you medicine to give you better but you are not going to feel it. I promise we are going to get you all better" he smiled at the words of encouragement. _

_Leo looked down at Jake and gave him a reassuring smile. "I am going to be with you okay man. Don't worry we'll figure this out" he held Jake's hand. No matter how much of a manly man you are, this had to hurt like hell and be terrifying. _

"_We're good to go Lydia" Kelly said. Lydia nodded, it was time to get this done. "Okay, Natalie. I want you to put a whip stitch on that hand. It will hold the tissues until you get to the OR" she said. Natalie grabbed the suture kit and got to work. That she knew she could do. _

"_Okay, Sally be ready with the sponges. Natalie get on the gurney, you are going to do this" she said. Kelly helped Natalie on the gurney and she got into position. "We are ready Lydia" she announced. "Okay Jake, on the count of 3 I want you to hold your breath. Sally will switch places with Leo so Leo can pull out the pipe. Natalie is going to apply fast pressure. We gave you pain meds but it's still going to hurt like hell. I need you to try to stay as still as possible" she said. _

_Once everyone was on position, Natalie let out a nervous breath and nodded. She was nervous. She hoped to God this worked. Both Lydia and Natalie were freaking out internally. They were super nervous. Neither have ever done this over the phone. _

"_Okay Jake, ready" Natalie asked. She looked at Sally who nodded, "we're good to go Nattie" she replied. "Okay, 1…2…hold your breath" she yelled. It all happened so fast. As soon as the bar was out, Natalie pressed as hard as possible. Blood was everywhere. All over Natalie and Leo. "Let's MOVE NOW! WE NEED to get him to the OR. Thanks Lydia! We'll keep you updated" Natalie said as they were wheeled away. _

_Kelly had the phone on speaker, "you did good babe. We're going back to the firehouse. You doing okay?" he asked. Lydia let out a breath of relief and nodded. "We're good Kelly. You okay? That had to be a tough call" she replied. He let out a breath of relief and nodded. "It was rough. I'll be fine once I get home and wrap you in my arms. I'll see you later. Give my angel a kiss for me" he said before hanging up. _

_That call really stuck with everyone. It was a tough call to come down from. Lucky for them, it was slow the rest of shift. After work, they all made their way to Lydia's apartment. Derek, Leo, Nattie and Sally got a pizza and some salads and made their way to Lydia's. _

The guys from the firehouse were already there. They all greeted Lydia and thanked her for her help on the call. Nattie gave her the biggest hug when she walked in. "Thank you so much. I seriously couldn't have done that without you" she said.

Lydia smiled and returned the hug. "You all did great! You are a kick ass trauma God now. Being awesome just comes with the territory" she teased.

Kelly walked in feeling exhausted. He just wanted to help Matt get ready and then curl up with his wife. His day was horrible. He walked into the apartment and saw Lydia on the couch with her feet in Matt's lap and the guys scattered around the living room watching the game, eating his food and playing with his daughter.

"What are you all doing here?" he asked. He dropped his bag by the door and hung up his coat. He walked over to the couch and leaned down to give Lydia a kiss. He cupped her head and tilted her head up to kiss her. Lydia smiled as he deepened the kiss. He pulled away with a smile so she figured he just needed it after the shift they had.

"We wanted to check on Lydia, we didn't want her up and around the kitchen so we brought some pizzas and salad. Gabby made pasta" Sally said as she put out all the food on the table. "Besides, we wanted to see Matty and Gabby off on their date" Natalie teased her brother.

"Don't listen to him. He's just cranky. You guys are welcome here anytime" she replied with a little laugh. "Lydia, when is this dinner deal?" Matt asked. Lydia looked up at him and Gabby with a big smile on her face.

"You should probably get ready. You're reservations are at The Martens. They are holding a table for you. I have called everything in, so everything is all taken care of, so you don't have to worry about anything. Gabby, you are going to come with us girls to get ready in my room; I bought you a dress. Matt you are going to get ready with the guys. We'll meet down here in an hour" she informed with a big smile on her face. She was more excited than anyone.

Lydia, Nattie and Lena spent all night calling people and setting things up for this date to happen smoothly. Severide helped her upstairs and deposited her in her bedroom on the bed, while all the other girls just followed. Then he went into his room down the hall to help Matt. All the girls fussed over Gabby.

Lydia had picked out a pretty black short dress that dipped slightly into a V-neck in the chest area. Shay worked on curling her hair, while Sally and Nattie helped with the makeup. Lena and Lydia focused on getting the dress and accessories ready.

Down the hall, Matt was freaking out. Kelly walked in to find him pacing. He couldn't help but laugh. "Due, you really need to calm down. It's just a date. Gabby is pretty calm, so you need to chill. You love her. Just go with it. Be yourself and don't do anything stupid" he teased.

Matt turned to glare at him, "you joke, and I am freaking out. Do you know how hard this is going to be? What the hell are we supposed to talk about? This is going to be so awkward" he said as he changed into a button down shirt and nice jeans. "Matt, you are like the cutest couple since me and Lydia got together. You'll be fine. Just act like she's Lydia, except you can kiss Gabby" he teased giving Matt his cologne to put on.

After an hour of preparation, they both looked great. Matt and Kelly were waiting for Gabby and the girls. When they came down, Kelly couldn't help but whistle. He had to admit, Gabby looked hot. Lydia did well. Matt would be an idiot for messing this one up.

"You look beautiful"

"Thank you. You don't look so bad yourself"

The couple flirted with each other. Their friends were just looking on with huge smiles on their faces. They were so cute, neither realized it. "You guys go and enjoy yourselves. I don't want to hear from you two until tomorrow morning" Lydia said as Kelly walked them out.

The rest of the night was a joy. It was nice to get together with everyone. Once everyone was gone, Kelly put Andi to bed and got settled with Lydia on the couch resting her back against his chest. She laid her head on his shoulder. He wrapped his arms around her and rested his chin on her shoulder. "Are you feeling okay?" he asked.

She smiled and turned so she could face him. "I am feeling fine. It was nice to see everyone today. I missed you today" she replied. He smiled and kissed her cheek. "I missed you too…" he said with a pause.

Lydia could tell something was bothering him. He was never this quiet. "Kelly, what's wrong? Are you okay" she asked with worry. "Yeah I am fine" he replied. Lydia gave him a look. "Kelly, I've known you since we were kids. What's wrong?" she asked. She wanted to talk to him about this push and pull thing he was doing.

"I was thinking. Since we are going to be getting remarried and you are here for good. Now that we have Andi with us, I was thinking that we should get a house together" he said. Lydia looked up at him with a smile. "Are you serious?" she asked. He twisted a little so he could look at her face, "yeah, I want to do this the right way. You are going to do it once, so do it right. You are mine and we are a family, it's time we start acting like one" he said.

Lydia smiled and gave him a kiss. "Is this why you have been playing the push and pull game with me? Kelly I have been so confused. First you kiss me and then you pull away. I didn't know what was going on with you. This makes sense" she teased. He smiled and let out a little laugh.

"I owe you an explanation. I just, I don't want to go to fast. Before we just fell for each other so completely we broke each other. I don't want to be that way this time" he said. She wiped her tears, "I love you Kelly Severide" she leaned in to give him a kiss.

He replied with a deep, passionate kiss. He wanted her so badly, but he didn't want to hurt her. He just started working his way back into her life. He didn't want to mess it up. That's why he's been playing the push and pull. He was afraid to do anything since she got out of the hospital.

"Kelly, I am not going to break" she said. She knew he was afraid to try something with her. Ever since she got out of the hospital, he's been extra careful. Really cautious with how he treats her. "I know, let's just wait until you're post-op appointment" he replied. She dropped the subject and nodded.

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**Thank you for reading! Please review! **


	10. Chapter 10

**HI Everyone! Thanks to everyone for taking interest in my story! I really appreciate it! **

**This chapter is mostly Gabby/Matt centric. Hope you all enjoy!**

**Please Review!**

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_**Previously…**_

"I owe you an explanation. I just, I don't want to go to fast. Before we just fell for each other so completely we broke each other. I don't want to be that way this time" he said. She wiped her tears, "I love you Kelly Severide" she leaned in to give him a kiss.

He replied with a deep, passionate kiss. He wanted her so badly, but he didn't want to hurt her. He just started working his way back into her life. He didn't want to mess it up. That's why he's been playing the push and pull. He was afraid to do anything since she got out of the hospital.

"Kelly, I am not going to break" she said. She knew he was afraid to try something with her. Ever since she got out of the hospital, he's been extra careful. Really cautious with how he treats her. "I know, let's just wait until you're post-op appointment" he replied. She dropped the subject and nodded.

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**Chapter 10-The Date Part 2**

The next day, Kelly walked into the firehouse a happy man. His life was finally in a good place. Lydia was healing nicely and his daughter was happy and healthy. He was a happy man. Kelly noticed that there was something wrong the moment he walked in. He looked around the common room and noticed Matt and Gabby skirting around each other in the kitchen.

Gabby was making herself some coffee, while Matt was just staring her with his doe eyed look on his face. _'That must have something to do with the date' _Kelly thought to himself. He wanted details.

"Morning Lieutenant" the guys greeted as he made his presence known. Hearing the greetings, Matt looked up and met Kelly's gaze. He had disappeared into the locker room to change into his uniform. When he came back down, he walked over to Kelly, who greeted him with a nod.

Casey led Severide outside for some air. He had to get out of there. He needed some time to process the situation at hand. He needed Kelly's help. It was all his fault anyway.

"Hey, what's going on?" Kelly asked as he sat on the bed of the Squad 3 rig. Matt started pacing. He started rubbing his hand though his hair. "I need to talk to you about last night" he said. Kelly leaned against the truck parked outside, crossed his arms across his chest smirking.

"So is that why you are so distracted today? Look at you, you can't even walk straight" Kelly replied. "Yeah well, that's your fiancé's fault. If she never made Gabby and I go on this stupid date, none of this would have happened" Matt declared. Kelly just looked on amused. "Well come on, let's hear it. What the hell happened that was so bad? I thought you liked each other? I told you to be chill" Kelly asked confused.

Matt stopped pacing and made his way over to sit next to Kelly on the truck. "Well, after we left your house, we took my truck to the restaurant…" he started to explain. Kelly was waiting for details. He was exited to hear this. He hasn't seen Matt this freaked in a while.

**))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))- Flashback: Date-)))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))**

Matt and Gabby just left Lydia's apartment. They were on their way to The Marten's restaurant. The only noise in the car was coming from the radio. They were both really nervous. Both Matt and Gabby were sitting in complete silence. Gabby sat in the passenger seat with her hands folded in her lap, glancing from the street to the Matt. He was clenching the steering wheel so hard, his knuckles were turning white.

Once they got to the restaurant, Matt parked and turned off the car. "I'll get the door for you" he said to Gabby. It was the first thing he said to her the entire car ride. She smiled, nodded and waited. He walked around to the other side of the car; he let out a nervous breath before opening the door and helping her out. "Thanks," she smiled at his kind gesture. He gave her a small smile before leading into the restaurant.

"Good evening, welcome to The Marten's. How can I help you?" the receptionist asked. Matt smiled at her. He was trying to be polite, while Gabby kept a watchful eye on the two. The hostess was looking Matt up and down. Gabby couldn't help but notice the look the receptionist was shooting Matt. It's like she was undressing him in her head.

She was flirting with him right in front of her. She couldn't believe the gall of this woman. Who the hell did she think she is? Gabby put one arm around Matt's waist and the other on his chest. She smiled up at him before plastering her fake smile on her face and addressing the receptionist.

"We have a reservation under Mackenzie" she said. The receptionist snapped her hip out and titled her head to narrow her eyes at Gabby. "Let me check" she said looking into her books. In the meantime, Gabby rested her head against Matt and stood on her tip toes to kiss his cheek. He held her closer to him, really enjoying the feel of her in his arms, but he was confused as hell.

Not that he was complaining, but he really didn't understand why she was acting like this all of a sudden. She barely said one word in the car, now she was all over him. The receptionist turned back to them and smiled again. "Follow me" she said grabbing two menus before leading them to their table. It was a really sweet setup.

It was a booth, forcing them to sit next to each other, with candles lit up all around the top of the booth. In the middle of the table, there were red, white and pink roses in a beautifully decorated vase. Matt let her go into the booth first. The way they were seated, they were sitting shoulder to shoulder. They tried to ignore it as they looked through the menu.

The waiter came over and smiled at them. "Good evening Lt. Casey, Ms. Dawson. I have been informed of your situation by Dr. Mackenzie. I brought these for you on account of the good doctor. She has planned out the meal for you tonight, so I will be bringing your salads shortly" he informed them handing Matt the index cards.

"What do they say?" Gabby asked.

"There's a note on the first one" he replied.

'To Matt and Gabby,

It's about time this dinner is happening. You two are soooo cute together, it's not even funny. I know you are having a hard time connecting with each other outside of work, and this dinner is probably no exception, so I have prepared some talking cards, to help you guys out. Ask each other the questions and enjoy your night!

Love,

Lydia and Kelly'

Matt and Gabby looked at each other worried. They knew Lydia and they knew she liked to tease them. She was less than subtle at trying to get them together. "I can only imagine what Lydia has written on those cards" Gabby said. Matt smiled at her and couldn't help but laugh.

Lydia was just trying to make the situation better. She was trying to lighten the mood. She knew they were going to be awkward around each other. Matt looked at the cards and shook his head at her antics. He should have seen this coming from Lydia. He saw that Gabby was looking at him like he was crazy.

"I am sorry Gabby. I know this is kind of awkward. I am going to try from now on to be more sociable. This is all just new to me; I don't know what to do in this situation. I haven't been on a date in years" he explained. Gabby turned toward him, and placed her hand on his arm.

"Matt I am not used to this either. The last time I went on a date, I was in college" she replied. Matt smiled and caressed her cheek. "I say we make this worth our while" he commented.

She nodded and took the cards out of his hands. "The first card says, 'say one thing you like about each other' so I'll go first" Gabby said. She put the card down and pretended to think about something to say.

"The first time I met you, it was my first day on the job and I thought that you were so cute. I was so nervous for my first day, but you walked up to me and gave me a huge smile. You shook my hand and said, 'Welcome to Firehouse 51 Gabriella Dawson. You are going to be a great asset to the team' and I just melted" she said with a huge blush on her cheeks.

Matt looked down at the table with a huge smile on his face. He was also blushing. "Well one thing that I liked about you is that you are beautiful. I remember one day when we were on call and it was a huge trauma. Everyone was freaking out and panicking. I was struck in the elevator with a pregnant lady. I was freaking out to the extreme and you were there calming me down to the max. I remember hearing your voice in my helmet and all I could think of was of me sitting next to you while you were having our baby" he confessed.

Gabby looked at him shocked and was embarrassed. She was definitely not expecting that to come out of his mouth. He just stared at her. By the doe eyed look on her face, he knew he shouldn't have said that. He couldn't help it; he was just lost in the moment.

"Gabby, I…"

"No, I have to go. Thank you for a lovely evening" she said before running out of there as fast as she could. Matt watched her leave and couldn't help but feel guilty. He was such an idiot. He could not believe that he just said that. He couldn't believe that she just got up and left.

He needed to make it right. He wanted to call her, but he thought better of it. He just went home and thought about it. He had to think of something to do for her before the next shift so it wouldn't be so awkward between them. He would need her and he didn't want to be one of those guys who just said something like that and then ignored her the next day.

He wasn't built like that. In the job they did, you have to be on good terms with the people you work with. You depended on them to save lives. You need them and they need you. He had to fix this.

**LLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLL-End Flashback-LLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLL**

Kelly couldn't help but burst out laughing. That was the most unlike Matt thing he could have done. Lydia was a genius. He should have thought about it himself, he was only mad he didn't think of it sooner. It would have saved them all the trouble.

"I am so glad you find this amusing. It was horrible, she just got up and left. Why the hell was I that stupid? It is all your fault. This would have never happened. Now I don't know what to do" he said. Kelly got a hold of himself and patted his friend on the back.

"Matt, you are overthinking things. You need to just calm down and think about his. Gabby is a sensible person. You dropped a bomb on her, props by the way, that was very unlike you. I thought I told you to chill. Be yourself, not me" Kelly said.

Matt just glared at the smirk on Kelly's face. He knew that his friend was enjoying this. "I was stuck in the moment. It just came out. I couldn't help it. What the hell was I supposed to say?" Matt replied. Kelly's smirk grew larger, "Matt just give her some time to process. You need to focus on work" Kelly informed. Matt just shrugged, "how the hell am I supposed to do that?" he asked.

Before Kelly could come up with something insightful, the alarm sounded.

"**Truck 81…Squad 3…Ambulance 61, respond 845 West Michigan Ave. apartment fire" **

Once Matt heard that address, he panicked. It took Kelly a second to realize the address. "That's Nattie's apartment building" Kelly said. Everyone jumped into action. They knew how sensitive this was going to be. "Great just what I need to start shift" Casey said climbing into his seat in the truck.

Kelly got into the Squad 3 truck and grabbed his radio, "You going to be okay Casey? Don't worry, we'll get Nattie out" he asked. "Yeah I am good. You have my back though?" he phrased it as a question, although he knew Kelly would always have his back. "No doubt" Kelly replied.

Once they arrived on scene of the fire, it was a mess. Casey and Kelly looked up and saw the top floor on fire with smoke and flames visible. The fire was out of control. They needed to get this under control soon or it would be too dangerous to go in. "Jesus Christ" Kelly commented. Casey put his helmet and got his head in the game.

Natalie was sleeping when she smelt the smoke and heard the alarm. She woke up to see everyone freaking out. The building was on fire. She had to get out. She grabbed her bag, her phone, and pulled on shoes and a sweatshirt. She got low and tried to find a way out. She pulled out her phone to call her brother.

Before Matt could go get his orders out, his phone rang.

RING! RING! RING!

"Hello" he greeted.

"Matty, it's your sister. I'm on the 6th floor. Left side window, 5th from the middle of the building. It's crazy in here. People are scrambling" she informed.

Matt let out a worried breath. "Nattie, don't worry. Get a wet rag put it over your mouth and stay in your apartment. Get close as possible to the window. We are coming to get you" he said.

Natalie dropped to the floor and grabbed a rag from the kitchen. She wet it from the sink and put it over her mouth. She crawled over to the window clutching her phone. She cupped her stomach and rubbed her baby. She prayed that they got there in time.

"Alright guys you know your jobs," Matt grabbed his gear and masked up to inside for search and rescue. Kelly told his guys what to do, so they all got to work. Mills and Hadley made their way up to vent the roof, but when they got up there, they soon realized that venting on the roof was a no go; the roof was in no condition to be used as a vent.

"Damn," Hadley said before grabbing his radio, "vent's no good Casey. We need to find another vent" he added. "Okay, come back down and out. We'll regroup" Chief Boden ordered. Hermann and Otis were pulling a line when Mills and Hadley came down.

They regrouped with them to find a way in from the inside. Meanwhile, Casey and Severide were inside, doing their own search and rescue. They were going to get Natalie. They were on the top floor. They had a window open as a vent, so Severide and Casey were handing the civilians over to the guy on the ladder outside the window.

Once they got to Natalie's apartment, they kicked the door in. "NATALIE! CALL OUT" Kelly yelled. Natalie took off the wet rag, "KELLY, MATT! PLEASE KELLY!" she screamed as loud as she could. They made their way over to her instantly. Once they cleared the building, Casey went out on the ladder and climbed down a few steps. Once he was cleared, he turned toward Kelly who was still in the building with Natalie in his arms.

He handed her to Matt, who then handed her off to Otis who was behind him. "Get her to Dawson and Shay. They need to check the baby" he ordered. "Matt, get Kelly out" she yelled at her brother before following Otis down. Otis nodded and slowly made his way down the ladder with Natalie. He got her to Dawson. Natalie stood next to Dawson and Shay watching her brother with tears rolling down her cheeks. She needed Kelly out.

Once she was safely down away from the fire, Matt turned to Kelly. "Come on!" he yelled to Kelly. Severide could feel the heat coming in through the door he was leaning against. It was starting to seep through the cracks. "I can't it's too bad. If I move, the flames are going to engulf us both. You just go and get out here. Take care of my men and tell Andi and Lydia that I love them" he said waving Casey down the ladder. Matt just stood there staring at him like he had two heads.

"Are you insane? I am not leaving you here. Just man up and let's do this" Matt said. He looked at Kelly and let out a big breath before grabbing his radio. He knew that everyone heard their conversation, but he needed them to get their heads in the game. "Dawson are you down there?" he asked.

"Yeah I am here" she replied as she watched him on the ladder. "Get ready, we are coming down" he said. Gabby nodded and sent a silent prayer upstairs that they got down okay. She and Shay made their way to the rig to get the stretcher and their supplies ready for Severide when they came down. Natalie walked forward so she was standing next to the chief.

"Are you ready Kelly?" Matt asked. Kelly nodded and let out a big nervous breath. "You better be right about this" he said before running to the window. Matt put his hand out and grabbed Kelly's arm as he grabbed onto the underside of the ladder. Casey looked down at him hanging there with a relieved look on his face.

Matt let his head rest against the ladder and let out a breath. "Thank God" he breathed. "You can say that again" Kelly replied as he climbed around the ladder to lean against Matt on the ladder. "You just have to be right all the time, don't you?" Kelly joked. "You are so damn lucky I am always right" Matt laughed out.

They made their way down the ladder, Matt first. Once he landed on his two feet, Kelly jumped down next to him. They were attacked by Gabby, Shay and Natalie. "Don't be so stupid next time" Shay yells at Kelly. Natalie wrapped her arms around him and squeezed him tight. "Thank you so much" she kissed his cheek before going to thank her brother. Matt kept his arms around Gabby and Natalie.

"How's the baby?" he asked his sister. She smiled and rubbed a hand over her stomach. "Baby is so fine. Gabby did an ultrasound in the back of the ambo" she said. Kelly wrapped them all in a hug. They got Natalie out, her baby is good and they all made it out okay. "Don't worry so much. I am fine" he said.

Gabby looked at him with crazy eyes. "Both of you need to get checked out" she informed. "We don't need it. Matt was outside and I am fine. The fire didn't get to me" Kelly replied. The last thing he needed was to go to the hospital, because he could bet that if he went to the hospital, Lydia would be informed.

He didn't want her to worry. Gabby seemed to catch on to this, "Kelly you are going to get checked out whether you want to or not" she said pulling him toward the rig. He sat there and pulled his uniform shirt off. His back had some burns and his arm had some as well. Gabby grabbed his helmet and looked at the scorch marks on top. It was melted all the way down to the top.

"You got so lucky Kelly. Another minute and you might not be sitting here right now" she said as she applied some peroxide to clean his wounds. Shay looked over Matt and gave him a clean bill of health. "We have to take Kelly and Natalie to the hospital. I want them to get checked out" Gabby informed. "Come on Gabby, can't you just do something here?" he asked.

She squeezed his shoulder slightly to comfort him, "Sorry Kelly. We don't have the proper equipment to deal with these kind of burns. I cleaned them out and wrapped them, but we don't have the ointment to treat them. They are going to have to do blood work, and scans to see if there is any damage" she informed him. He nodded and went without a fight. Matt sat next to him in the back of the rig while Natalie was on the gurney. Matt knew deep down Kelly was scared. Matt sure was.

The only thing he could think of while he was talking to him in that building was Andy. He didn't want Kelly to die like Darden did. When he saw him standing against the door, flames coming in all around him, all he could see was Andy dying.

"Matt, can you call Lydia. I don't want her to hear it from the hospital" he said. Kelly wouldn't admit it, but he needed her. He didn't want her to hear about this from someone else. She needed to hear it from their family first. "Yeah, don't worry about it" Matt replied. Kelly nodded and went back to his thoughts.

"Hey, don't worry about anything. They are going to take good care of you. Don't worry about Lydia and Andi. I am going to take care of them. You are all going to be one big happy family" Matt said. Kelly smiled a smile that didn't reach his eyes and nodded. He knew that Matt would take care of his family if need be.

Once they arrived to the hospital, Matt walked with Kelly, Gabby and Shay into the lobby. Gabby went with Kelly into the exam room, Shay stayed behind in the lobby to fill out the report and Matt excused himself to call Lydia.

He looked at his watch, noticing that it was 3 am; he had to figure out what to say so he wouldn't freak her out. He wasn't going to wake her up for no reason. He decided to call Tommy first. They lived closer together and were able to be there for each other quicker than anyone else. He told Tommy to stop and pick Lydia up first before coming to the hospital. Then Matt called Lydia. He decided to call her cell phone versus the house phone and wake Andi up.

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**Lydia's apartment**

Lydia was nicely snug into bed with the monitor on the dresser. She got into bed early to get ready for shift in the morning. Andi was in bed and Kelly was on shift, so she made a bubble bath and got comfortable in bed.

**RING! RING! RING!**

Lydia got up looking at her dresser confused. She picked up the monitor first to see if it was Andi. When she heard Andi still asleep, she picked up her phone and noticed it was the one ringing. She thought it was the hospital or Natalie, so she got up, breathed the sleep out and made herself sound remotely awake.

"This is Dr. Mackenzie" she answered a little sleep in her voice. "Lyd, it is Matt" he replied.

Lydia shot up panicked. Her heart immediately dropped in her chest. The only reason Matt would be calling, the only reason any of them called at this hour, was to inform the family of something wrong.

"Matt, what happened and how bad is it?" she asked, getting up to put on some sweats and a t-shirt. Matt sighed. He knew this wouldn't be easy. "He has second degree burns on his back and his arm. Gabby is with him in the room. She said it didn't look too bad but she wanted to come to the hospital just to be sure" he explained.

Lydia nodded, "okay, Leo is on tonight, so tell him I will be there in 20 minutes. I will just grab Andi and get her bundled up and we'll be right there" she said. "Lyd, I already called Tommy. He is on his way to pick you up" Matt said. Lydia nodded, "okay. I am going to get Andi ready and be right there. Matt I need you to page Dr. Bobby Sharpe. Tell him that I want all the details" she said.

Bobby was her best resident. He's a stickler for details and he knows that the guys from the firehouse are important to her. "Okay, you got it Lydia" he said before hanging up. Matt went to the desk and told the charge nurse that Dr. Mackenzie wanted Dr. Sharpe paged and on the case.

After getting Andi in her coat and a blanket around her, with Tommy driving with the sirens on, they made it to the hospital in 10 minutes, even less. She grabbed Andi and covered her with the blanket and hugged her to her chest before running into the hospital. She stopped when she saw the entire firehouse gathered in the lobby.

She found Shay first, "Les, what happened?" she asked. "He has second degree burns on his back and shoulder. Gabby cleaned them out in the rig and wrapped them up, but we don't have the ointment in the rig, so we had to bring him in. Gabby is in with him now" Shay explained. Lydia took in the information confused. She didn't even realize it until that moment the depth of their words.

"How could he get burned? How bad was the fire?" she asked. Matt walked up to her and led her to the chairs, "I'll tell you what happened, but you need to be sitting down first" Matt said. Once they were seated, he had to relieve the whole scene all over again.

**MMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMM**

Lydia sat down and put Andi in her lap. She cradled her daughter just rocked her back and forth. She needed her daughter close when she heard this.

_Once they arrived on scene of the fire, it was a mess. Casey and Kelly looked up and saw the top floor on fire with smoke and flames visible. The fire was out of control. They needed to get this under control soon or it would be too dangerous to go in. "Jesus Christ" Kelly commented. Casey put his helmet and got his head in the game._

_Natalie was sleeping when she smelt the smoke and heard the alarm. She woke up to see everyone freaking out. The building was on fire. She had to get out. She grabbed her bag, her phone, and pulled on shoes and a sweatshirt. She got low and tried to find a way out. She pulled out her phone to call her brother. _

_Before Matt could go get his orders out, his phone rang. _

_RING! RING! RING!_

"_Hello" he greeted._

"_Matty, it's your sister. I'm on the 6__th__ floor. Left side window, 5__th__ from the middle of the building. It's crazy in here. People are scrambling" she informed. _

_Matt let out a worried breath. "Nattie, don't worry. Get a wet rag put it over your mouth and stay in your apartment. Get close as possible to the window. We are coming to get you" he said._

_Natalie dropped to the floor and grabbed a rag from the kitchen. She wet it from the sink and put it over her mouth. She crawled over to the window clutching her phone. She cupped her stomach and rubbed her baby. She prayed that they got there in time._

"_Alright guys you know your jobs," Matt grabbed his gear and masked up to inside for search and rescue. Kelly told his guys what to do, so they all got to work. Mills and Hadley made their way up to vent the roof, but when they got up there, they soon realized that venting on the roof was a no go; the roof was in no condition to be used as a vent._

"_Damn," Hadley said before grabbing his radio, "vent's no good Casey. We need to find another vent" he added. "Okay, come back down and out. We'll regroup" Chief Boden ordered. Hermann and Otis were pulling a line when Mills and Hadley came down._

_They regrouped with them to find a way in from the inside. Meanwhile, Casey and Severide were inside, doing their own search and rescue. They were going to get Natalie. They were on the top floor. They had a window open as a vent, so Severide and Casey were handing the civilians over to the guy on the ladder outside the window._

_Once they got to Natalie's apartment, they kicked the door in. "NATALIE! CALL OUT" Kelly yelled. Natalie took off the wet rag, "KELLY, MATT! PLEASE KELLY!" she screamed as loud as she could. They made their way over to her instantly. Once they cleared the building, Casey went out on the ladder and climbed down a few steps. Once he was cleared, he turned toward Kelly who was still in the building with Natalie in his arms. _

_He handed her to Matt, who then handed her off to Otis who was behind him. "Get her to Dawson and Shay. They need to check the baby" he ordered. "Matt, get Kelly out" she yelled at her brother before following Otis down. Otis nodded and slowly made his way down the ladder with Natalie. He got her to Dawson. Natalie stood next to Dawson and Shay watching her brother with tears rolling down her cheeks. She needed Kelly out._

_Once she was safely down away from the fire, Matt turned to Kelly. "Come on!" he yelled to Kelly. Severide could feel the heat coming in through the door he was leaning against. It was starting to seep through the cracks. "I can't it's too bad. If I move, the flames are going to engulf us both. You just go and get out here. Take care of my men and tell Andi and Lydia that I love them" he said waving Casey down the ladder. Matt just stood there staring at him like he had two heads._

"_Are you insane? I am not leaving you here. Just man up and let's do this" Matt said. He looked at Kelly and let out a big breath before grabbing his radio. He knew that everyone heard their conversation, but he needed them to get their heads in the game. "Dawson are you down there?" he asked._

"_Yeah I am here" she replied as she watched him on the ladder. "Get ready, we are coming down" he said. Gabby nodded and sent a silent prayer upstairs that they got down okay. She and Shay made their way to the rig to get the stretcher and their supplies ready for Severide when they came down. Natalie walked forward so she was standing next to the chief. _

"_Are you ready Kelly?" Matt asked. Kelly nodded and let out a big nervous breath. "You better be right about his" he said before running to the window. Matt put his hand out and grabbed Kelly's arm as he grabbed onto the underside of the ladder. Casey looked down at him hanging there with a relieved look on his face. _

_Matt let his head rest against the ladder and let out a breath. "Thank God" he breathed. "You can say that again" Kelly replied as he climbed around the ladder to lean against Matt on the ladder. "You just have to be right all the time, don't you?" Kelly joked. "You are so damn lucky I am always right" Matt laughed out._

_They made their way down the ladder, Matt first. Once he landed on his two feet, Kelly jumped down next to him. They were attacked by Gabby, Shay and Natalie. "Don't be so stupid next time" Shay yells at Kelly. Natalie wrapped her arms around him and squeezed him tight. "Thank you so much" she kissed his cheek before going to thank her brother. Matt kept his arms around Gabby and Natalie. _

"_How's the baby?" he asked his sister. She smiled and rubbed a hand over her stomach. "Baby is so fine. Gabby did an ultrasound in the back of the ambo" she said. Kelly wrapped them all in a hug. They got Natalie out, her baby is good and they all made it out okay. "Don't worry so much. I am fine" he said._

_Gabby looked at him with crazy eyes. "Both of you need to get checked out" she informed. "We don't need it. Matt was outside and I am fine. The fire didn't get to me" Kelly replied. The last thing he needed was to go to the hospital, because he could bet that if he went to the hospital, Lydia would be informed._

_He didn't want her to worry. Gabby seemed to catch on to this, "Kelly you are going to get checked out whether you want to or not" she said pulling him toward the rig. He sat there and pulled his uniform shirt off. His back had some burns and his arm had some as well. Gabby grabbed his helmet and looked at the scorch marks on top. It was melted all the way down to the top._

"_You got so lucky Kelly. Another minute and you might not be sitting here right now" she said as she applied some peroxide to clean his wounds. Shay looked over Matt and gave him a clean bill of health. "We have to take Kelly and Natalie to the hospital. I want them to get checked out" Gabby informed. "Come on Gabby, can't you just do something here?" he asked. _

_She squeezed his shoulder slightly to comfort him, "Sorry Kelly. We don't have the proper equipment to deal with these kind of burns. I cleaned them out and wrapped them, but we don't have the ointment to treat them. They are going to have to do blood work, and scans to see if there is any damage" she informed him. He nodded and went without a fight. Matt sat next to him in the back of the rig while Natalie was on the gurney. Matt knew deep down Kelly was scared. Matt sure was._

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"The fire melted the top of his helmet" they turned to see Gabby coming toward them. Lydia got up and made her way over to the paramedic. She wrapped her up in a hug and couldn't help the tears flow. Gabby rubbed her back and pulled away to wipe Lydia's tears. "He's going to be fine. Leo ran blood work and did a CT/X-RAY. They all came back normal. Leo is re-cleaning the wound and Bobby is patching them up. He's in exam room 3. He's asking for you" she said.

Lydia nodded and gave Gabby the baby. Gabby took Andi from Lydia and walked around with her bouncing her and keeping her asleep. She could hear Bobby and Leo from outside the room. She stood in the doorway for a minute to get herself together.

Matt watched as Gabby put Andi to sleep. He walked over and wrapped his arm around the girls, bringing them into a hug. "Hey, are you okay?" Gabby asked.

He nodded and let out a breath, "yeah, I'm just glad he's okay. I can't lose him Gabby. He's the best friend I ever had. He's my older brother. I can't lose him" Matt admitted. Dawson rubbed a comforting hand up and down Casey's back.

"You are not going to lose each other. You are both two stubborn to let anything happen to each other. Just have each other's backs. You'll always be brothers Matt. You will always have Severide in your corner" she reassured.

Outside the room, Lydia could hear Bobby and Leo talking to Kelly.

"You got real lucky Kelly" Leo said. "Yeah I know. I'm going to be okay though right?" he asked. "Yeah, we scanned your back and everything came back positive" he explained. Kelly nodded and leaned forward, so Leo could finish wrapping Kelly's back. "You should have scanned his brain while you were at it" Lydia said as she came in with tears in her eyes.

Kelly smiled at her as she came in. "Are you okay?" she asked. "He's fine. Everything came back normal. I am done, so we'll leave you alone while I get your discharge paperwork" he said as he made his way out. Lydia wiped her tears and turned toward the door.

"FREEZE!" Lydia called.

Bobby and Leo turned and stood in the door. "Bobby I want to know for real" she said. Bobby took the chart and gave it to Lydia. "His vitals are stable. The burns are superficial. We have him on antibiotics and some pain killers. He should be fine though" Bobby said. Lydia read over the chart and nodded. She believed it coming from Bobby. She turned and gave Leo and Bobby a hug. "Thank you guys" she said to them. "No problem Mac, we'll leave the discharge papers at the desk" Bobby replied.

Lydia stayed at the door with her back to Kelly. She had to get herself together before she faced Kelly. Severide noticed her silence and stood up. He grabbed her shoulders and turned her to face him. He looked at her tears and pulled her towards him. She wrapped her arms around him and cried into his chest. She finally just let out all her tears.

When she pulled away, she cupped his face and leaned her forehead on his. "I am so happy you are okay. When Matt called me, I was scared out of my mind" she said. Kelly smiled at her and leaned forward to kiss her. "I love you so much. I thought I would never see you again" he replied. She squeezed her eyes shut as the tears fell down her cheeks.

"Kelly please don't be so careless anymore. I can't live without you and neither can your daughter. Kelly, I thought I lost you" she answered. He pulled her closer and kissed her. It was like he was consuming her. The reality of the day was getting to him. The fact that he could have lost her came swimming to him. He held onto her and infused himself into her. Then he started crying. She just held him and let him get it out. It just became so real for him. "You are okay" she reassured.

Once they got home from the hospital, things were quiet and their lives went back to normal. Kelly was on light duty for 3 weeks after getting discharged. At his check-up, Leo gave him the all clear to get back to work fully. He was more than excited to regain his position as Squad Lt. There were a lot of changes that happened in the month that he was out.

Hadley got fired for saying something derogatory towards Mills, a threat to close the firehouse is now in action, and they got two new firefighters at 51. It was a lot to catch up on, but they did everything together, one day at a time.

**AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA**

**Thanks everyone for reading and taking interest! I hope you enjoyed! Please review and let me know what you think!**


	11. Chapter 11

**Hey everyone! Thank you for the reviews! Thank you everyone for taking interest in my story. I really appreciate all the support. **

**So Update:**

**-Kelly and Lydia's wedding plans are underway in this chapter. **

**- We will learn more about Natalie's baby and how that fits in.**

**THERE WILL BE A TIME JUMP! **

**PLEASE BEWARE THIS CHAPTER IS RATED M!**

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_**Previously…**_

Hadley got fired for saying something derogatory towards Mills, a threat to close the firehouse is now in action, and they got two new firefighters at 51. It was a lot to catch up on, but they did everything together, one day at a time.

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**Chapter 11-Firehouse Drama**

A few weeks after Kelly returned to Firehouse 51, it was Lydia's turn for her follow up appointment. She went in for her post-op appointment and she couldn't wait. She wanted to move things forward with Kelly, but he was afraid to let things get to far since she got out of the hospital.

She hoped that this appointment with Derek would calm his mind. She stood in the mirror and applied her make-up. Once she was done, she made her way downstairs. Kelly was sitting in the kitchen, on the breakfast bar eating. He didn't even notice Lydia coming down.

All he could think about was the appointment with Derek. He was really worried about Lydia. She scared the crap out of him when she was in the hospital. He wanted to make sure that Lydia was okay. He wanted to get closer to her, but he didn't want to push her into anything she wasn't ready for.

Lydia let out a deep breath. "Hey Kel, are you ready to go?" she asked. "Yeah, the babysitter will be here soon" he replied. She nodded and set some things up for the sitter. She put out some pop and some snacks in the fridge. She made some pizza last night, so she put it out on the counter with a plate and some utensils.

KNOCK! KNOCK! KNOCK!

Lydia went and opened the door. The little girl was in high school. She was 14 years old, living a couple floors down from Lydia's. "Hi Dr. Mackenzie, how are you feeling?" she asked. "Hi Valerie, come on in. I am doing better thanks. I just wanted to thank you for coming on such short notice" she said. Valerie walked in and stood in the living room.

Kelly walked over with his jacket and Lydia's things. He smiled his megawatt, charming your pants off smile at the teenage girl. "Hey Val, how's it going?" he asked. She smiled and blushed. "Hi, Lt. Severide. I am doing well. How are you doing?" she replied. He smiled, "I'm doing alright. We won't be gone long okay" he said.

She nodded, "don't worry. We'll be fine. I have your numbers in case of an emergency" she replied. Lydia took her things from Kelly and put her jacket on. "Thanks Sweetie. Call if you need anything" they said before walking out.

The ride to the hospital wasn't very long at all. The only noise in the car was the radio. Both Kelly and Lydia was nervous, but for very different reasons. Once they got to the hospital, Kelly parked in the employee parking and they made their way up to the 10th floor. Derek and Sally were at the desk with a patient chart.

Lydia took one look around the waiting room and knew that they were busy today. She had her badge on, so she just signed herself in. "Hey Lydia, I'll be right with you" Derek said. "Don't worry about it. I have enough charts to last me a while. Take your time" she replied. He nodded and ran with Sally into an exam room with another patient.

The whole waiting room was full of patients. Kelly and Lydia were sitting in the waiting room. Kelly was looking through a magazine and Lydia was going through her charts. There was something off about one of the details in her chart, so she decided to investigate. "I'll be right back" she told Kelly before walking up to the desk.

"Hey Marina, can I borrow your phone?" she asked. Marina smiled at the doctor. They all missed her at the hospital. She's been Derek's secretary for years. She knows he's friends with Dr. Mackenzie. "Sure Lydia, help yourself. Who are you trying to call?" she asked. "I am looking for Bobby. I think he's in the OR today" she replied. "Let me put in the page" she replied. Lydia walked behind the desk and looked over her files. After a few minutes, Bobby replied.

_Bobby's page_

**Lydia's page**

_Hey Lydia, Welcome Back! I hope your appointment goes good._

**Thanks, Bobby. Listen, I need you to look into the Applegate case for me. Something doesn't add up in the chart. I got the patient via consult from Patrick. I just need to know what happened before her surgery.**

_Yeah sure, I'll look into it for you. I think she is still on Patrick's service. We just admitted her, so I'll check it out. I'm on OR service today. I'll page you at home when I figure this out._

**Good! Thanks Bobby. I got to go. Good luck in the OR today.**

She handed Marina back the phone. "I'll keep an eye on him for you. Are you still at home?" she asked. Lydia chuckled, "I'll know more about that after this appointment. It's my post-op. How's he been? My residents tell me it's been a mad house" she replied. Marina couldn't help but laugh. She worked with Derek long enough to know him better than anyone.

"He's been pretty moody lately, but it's not too bad. He's been in a good mood today though; came in with a smile on his face. We have been crazy busy though. We could use you back" she informed. Lydia smiled and nodded. "Not as much as I want to be back. I am dying of boredom at home. Don't get me wrong, it's great spending time with my little princess, but I want to get back to work. My residents have been driving me crazy with all their emails. It's like they can't function without me" she teased.

Derek came back out and grabbed her chart. "Dr. Mackenzie" he called. She walked over with Kelly at her side. "Good Luck Lyd" Marina called after her. She smiled and nodded in gratitude before going into the exam room. Once they got in there, Sally took her vitals and helped her into a gown. She laid back on the table and watched as Derek examined her.

After a minute, he looked at her vitals. "You are looking good at my end. I am going to give you clearance to get back to work. We need you here, your residents are driving everyone nuts" he teased. She couldn't help but chuckle. "Thanks Derek. I had some questions to ask you" she said. He sat on the bed beside her and updated her chart while she asked her questions.

She looked at Kelly cautiously before turning back to Derek. "I want to know if we are able to take things to the next level of our relationship?" she asked. Derek looked up surprised at the question. She is a doctor; she should know the answer to that question. She could see his surprise and glanced at Kelly, who was looking anywhere but at her. Derek nodded and put the chart down to give her his full attention.

"Well, as a doctor, I am sure you are aware that the deadline is six weeks. Since you are passed your mark, then you are okay. I would say to just go slow and nothing hard or kinky" he teased. She blushed bright red, "Thank you Derek. A simple yes/no would have been sufficient" she replied. He couldn't help but laugh and shake his head.

"So she's okay to get back to work? She can…we can…you know?" Kelly re-asked. He needed to hear it again. He needed to know for sure that she would be okay. It's not that he embarrassed easily but this was just awkward and he hated hospitals. Derek noticed his embarrassment and bit back a snigger.

"Yes, from a medical perspective which I think you want, she is able to return to active duty. She can get back to work full time. In terms of sex, she is able to perform as usual, but take it easy. Don't push too hard too fast. And make a follow up with Daniella" he replied. Kelly nodded and looked to Lydia to see if she wanted to ask more questions.

"Thanks Derek" she said giving him a hug. Kelly got up and shook Derek's hand. "I'll wait for you outside" he said. She nodded and kissed his cheek. Once he was gone, Lydia turned and hit Derek over the chest. He doubled over with laughter. "That was not necessary Derek. God, that could not have been more embarrassing" she groaned and covered her face with her hands.

Derek put his arm around her shoulder and led her out. "That was the cutest appointment I have ever had. Don't be embarrassed just because he is going to eat you alive tonight!" Derek teased waggling his eyebrows up and down. Lydia gasped and hit him in the ribs. "I am going to kill you Derek Sheppard" she said before kissing his cheek and leaving.

She just wanted to get home and make love to Kelly Severide. She was tired with this push and pull thing he was doing. It's been so long, she couldn't help it. She just watched Kelly when he came in and helped her put her clothes back on and walked back out with her. He was really quiet. He was processing what he just heard. He could finally go all the way with Lydia after years of being apart.

He looked over at her and studied her. Sure they were just given the green light, but he didn't want to rush right into anything. He didn't want to have the endurance of a teenage boy. He wanted to give her a special night and give her something she deserved.

The whole way home, neither one of them said a word. When they arrived back at the apartment, Valerie was playing with Andi on the floor. They were having a good old time together. Lydia paid Valerie and Kelly walked her to the door. She only lived a few floors down.

Lydia gave Andi her lunch first before making something for her and Kelly. He got back to find her in the kitchen, in one of his dress shirts and boxers. She's been wearing his clothes to bed and to lounge around the house in. She claimed they were easier to get on when she was injured.

Kelly didn't think she looked sexier than when she was wearing his clothes. He made his way upstairs to change and get ready for work. He packed his uniform in his duffle bag and all that he needed. He was working the night shift. He also wanted to update the guys and the chief on Lydia's status.

She would be back to work the next shift. Severide was having a very hard time keeping himself together the rest of the day. The way she bent over, the look of her in his clothes, the exposed skin of her neck, the way she was with Andi…he couldn't take it anymore. It seemed like anyway she moved, it was affecting him.

He held himself together until she came down from putting Andi down for her nap. She sat next to him on the couch and crossed her legs Indian style. This caused his shirt to scrunch up around her thighs. She put her hair up in a messy bun, put her glasses on and started working on some paperwork that needed to be done upon her arrival to work. He just watched her. It was like he couldn't get enough of her. He was drinking her in.

He lost it when she turned toward him and touched his thigh. That was just his breaking point. She put her paperwork down, took off her glasses and raised a hand to the back of her neck to work out the kinks. Then she turned to Kelly, put a hand on his thigh to balance as she leaned over toward him to ask, "Do you want anything to drink?"

He couldn't help himself anymore. He grabbed her hand and pulled her forward so she was straddling his waist. He leaned forward and closed the gap between them by crushing his mouth against hers. She was surprised, but eventually she opened her mouth to their tongues battle for dominance and deepened the kiss.

When she put her hands around his neck and leaned into him, he groaned and pulled her closer, until they were smashed against each other. She moaned and fought for dominance, but easily gave in when he slipped his hand under her shirt and started rubbing circles on the small of her back.

She broke the kiss and threw her head back with her mouth gasping. She was so turned on, it wasn't even funny. He quickly reattached his lips to her neck and kissed his way up and down her jaw, until he reached her chest. Torturously slow, he undid the buttons on her shirt one at a time, kissing the newly exposed skin as she went along.

She groaned and pushed into him some more. She played with the hairs at the back on his neck and pushed his head closer to her body. She couldn't help but start to circle her waist against his. The action caught him off guard, so he threw his head back against the couch and moved his hands to her waist. He was moving her hips harder against his painfully hard erection.

Lydia smiled at the look of pleasure on his face. His eyes were shut so hard, she thought they were glued. She knew by the speed of his movements that he wouldn't last much longer, so she leaned forward to speed up the process.

With her waist still grinding against his, she leaned forward and kissed her way up his jaw, to his pulse point. Once she found it, she moaned and started sucking it. When he moaned and moved a hand to tangle in her hair, she smiled against his neck and bit down on the already sensitized skin.

"LYDIA PLEASE" he begged.

Lydia smiled and moved up his jaw to his ear. She knew what he wanted and she would gladly give it to him. He's been so patient and loving with her these last few months, this was the least she could do for him.

She cupped his face and kissed the outside of his ear. She sped up the movement of her hips and smiled when his lifted off the couch to meet her movements. "Is this what you want?" she kissed his ear lobe; "You want to cum?" she asked.

Severide had died and gone to heaven. He couldn't believe what was coming out of her mouth. He has been dreaming about his since he was 17 years old.

"PLEASE! YES! PLEASE LYDIA" he moaned against her neck. She smiled and rubbed her chest against his before biting his earlobe at the same time as her hips roughly smacked against his. She smiled when she heard him moan out her name as he came. She pulled back and leaned down to rest her head in the crook of his neck. She kissed his neck lightly and watched as he came down, from his post-orgasmic high.

Finally, he opened his eyes and stared at her with a smile on his face. She leaned forward and gave him a quick kiss. "Feel better?" she asked. He couldn't help but chuckle and wrap his arms around her to pull her closer to his body. "You have no idea. Are you okay?" he replied. She looked up at him confused.

"Kelly, I am fine. That was as much enjoyable for me as it was for you. I was actually wondering what took you so long. You held out longer than I expected" she teased. "Yeah well, I didn't want to act like a pig and jump you when we got to the car" he replied. She smiled and let out a little laugh. "Well, I am glad you enjoyed it. It was just a little preview of what is to come once we are married and have our own house" she said before getting off of him. He protested and pulled her back down to him. He moved the hair off her neck and reattached his lips to the exposed skin.

Lydia closed her eyes and threw her head back on the couch. Kelly moved until he was on top of her and she was leaning back into the couch. "Severide you have to get to work" she said while sanity was still with her. A couple more seconds of him sucking her neck like that and she wouldn't be able to think straight. "I still have an hour before I have to leave" he replied.

"Kelly, you have to get in the shower and change your pants before work. We don't have time for this. You can thank me later" she said pulling away and putting some distance between them. He looked at her shocked. "Fine," he said pulling his shirt off and throwing it at her. "I am going to take a nice cold shower" he teased. She smiled into his shirt and fell back into the couch while he was showering.

She got his dinner ready and packed it for him to take to work. She only packed him a little, because she had a plan to surprise him for dinner.

After his shower, he got dressed, took his dinner and made his way to the firehouse. Kelly walked into the firehouse a happy man. He finally had his wife back. He couldn't get the image of her on top of him out of his head. He had a feeling it was going to plague him for the rest of the shift.

They had a relatively slow shift. It wasn't until about 3 am that they got a call. It was the same call that had them all worried and panicked.

**Ambulance 61…845 W. Michigan Ave. 8 month pregnant female in distress. Apartment 4**

She called. Gabby and Shay recognized the apartment right away. It was Natalie's apartment. She was the pregnant women in distress. They all bolted for the trucks. They were all answering the call whether the city liked it or not. This was family. "We'll meet you at hospital" Kelly said as he jumped into the Squad.

**RING! RING! RING!**

"Hello" Lydia answered. She was worried because last time she got a phone call this late it was Matt telling her Kelly was in the hospital.

"Lyd, I need you please. I went to the bathroom and here was bloody discharge. I am freaking out. I called for 61" she informed.

Lydia immediately got up and put on a sweatshirt over her shirt. She threw on her shoes and grabbed Andi. "Natalie, I need you to relax. Stay as calm as possible. We'll page Daniella to be waiting. I'll meet you at the hospital" she said.

She ran out and got into the car. She made it to the hospital in 10 minutes. She wasn't surprised to see the entire firehouse in the waiting room. Kelly walked up to her and took Andi from her. "Did Nattie call you?" he asked.

"Yeah, Matt all I know is that she was spotting. We have to run some tests but don't worry I'll be with her" she tried to reassure her friend. He smiled at her but was still worried. Poor Nattie. She couldn't catch a break. 8 months ago she was assaulted on her way home from work and now she was close to losing the baby.

The new guys were concerned but confused. They didn't really know Natalie. Their lieutenants were worried so in turn, they were worried.

Lydia gave Andi to Kelly and tied her hair up into a pony tail. "Justin, get Trauma bay 3 ready for pre-natal trauma care. Linda, page Dr. De Luca 911 right now! We have a friend of mine and a doctor at this hospital coming in. Let's move now" she called.

"Dr. Mackenzie, all the trauma rooms are full" Justin replied. Lydia was about to reply when Ambulance 61 rolled in. Natalie was hysterical. She clung to Matt. "Lydi, please" she cried. "Natalie, I need you to relax. Our trauma rooms are full. I am going give you an exam here okay, take some deep breaths and relax" she said.

Natalie nodded and spread her legs under the blanket. She put her head back and closed her eyes and took some deep breaths. Matt held her hand and caressed her forehead. He just tried to keep her calm.

Lydia got in front of Natalie, held the blanket over Natalie's legs and gave her a pelvic exam. She felt her cervix swelling and the blood was freely flowing. Lydia got worried. Natalie knew the look on Lydia's face. She's a trauma doctor, she knew how to give bad news and she knew how doctor's sugar coated things.

"Lydia what is it?" she asked. The guys from the firehouse were waiting for news. Kelly knew the look on Lydia's face and it wasn't good. Lydia let out a breath before facing her friend.

"Natalie, your cervix has a tear. That's where the blood is coming from. Your pelvic muscle is inflamed. We need to get the baby out now" she said before turning to Bobby.

"Let's get the OR ready. We need to do an emergency C-section" she said. She got onto the gurney and put pressure on Natalie's pelvis. "AHHH!" Natalie screamed. Lydia looked on sympathetic. "I know it hurts but I need to apply pressure" Lydia explained.

They got her chart and immediately wheeled her to the OR. They needed that baby out now. Severide cradled Andi closer to him. He was so grateful to Lydia for giving him his little girl. He took off his coat and wrapped her up in it.

Matt fell into one of those little plastic chairs and put his head in his hands. "Why can't my sister catch a break? First she is raped by that stupid piece of scum and now she could lose her life and the only good thing that came out of that horrible experience" he cried.

Jeff Clarke, the new member of Squad 3 heard what his lieutenant said. He felt for him. He didn't personally know Natalie or his lieutenant for that matter but a Marine, he saw and experienced a lot. What happened to Natalie had to be horrible and she didn't deserve that. He could tell that she was good people.

Lydia staid with Natalie the whole time that Daniella was operating. Even though Natalie was under anesthesia, she still promised Matt that she would stay with her. She sat at the end of the table and cradled her head. She wasn't leaving no matter what.

"Lydia, we are all set. The bleeding has stopped. The baby is fine. Nattie is going to have to stay in the ICU for observation overnight, but she should be okay for tomorrow" Dani said. Lydia smiled up at her. "Thanks Dani, I'll go tell the family. Bobby, you stay with Natalie" she informed.

The resident nodded and staid with the patient. Lydia took a breath and went to tell the firefighters. As soon as she got into the lobby, the guys all stood up. "How is she?" Matt asked. He looked so worn out. "Matt, she is going to be just fine. We closed the bleed, we have her on anti-inflammatories and have her pelvis elevated and iced. She is going to be just fine. The baby is doing great! Both baby girl and mama are stable. Bobby is taking her up to the ICU" she said.

Matt let out a breath of relief and wrapped his arms around Lydia. "Thank you so much" he said. Lydia smiled and kissed his cheek. "Don't worry Matt. She'll be fine" she replied.

Everyone went to visit Natalie. Bobby is staying with Natalie overnight in her hospital room. He was going to keep her monitored. Everyone was starting to trickle out when Jeff wanted to offer his well thoughts to his lieutenant's sister and formally introduce himself.

Natalie was laying on the bed watching TV when she heard something in the doorway. She turned to find Dr. Robert Adams, the brother of the guy who raped her at the door. She immediately got mad and aggravated.

"What the hell are you doing here Robert? You need to leave" she said as calmly as possible. "I just came to check on my niece. How is she by the way?" he asked as he walked in and took her chart. He started looking it over while she pressed for the nurse. "They are changing shifts, no one is at the desk" he said walking closer to her.

"HELP ME! SOMEONE!" she yelled.

He stalked toward her when Clarke came in on the defensive. "Hey, get away from her" he called. Natalie noticed that he stood between her and Robert. She recognized him from the firehouse. Robert glared at him. He didn't know who this guy was.

"Who the hell are you?" he asked.

Clarke crossed his arms across his chest and glared. "I am a friend of Natalie's. I know all about you and your family. I know all about what your brother did to my friend and it's sick. You and your family are sick, twisted people. The next time I see you anywhere near Natalie or her baby, there will be no where you can hide from me. Now leave" Clarke replied calmly but threating at the same time. It was the Marine training that made him quiet but lethal.

Natalie couldn't have been more grateful to Clarke. He was sticking up for her and defending her. She owed him big time. She tried to keep the surprise off her face when he said that he knew about what Jake did to her. No one knew but her family. He was new to the firehouse so there is no way he could have known that quickly.

Robert just looked between Natalie and Clarke with a laugh. "Girls like her don't have friends. The have clients. So tell me, really, how is this any of your business _friend_" Robert taunted. Clarke was ready to beat the crap out of him and Natalie could see that. She had to think fast, so she said the first thing that came to mind.

"He's my boyfriend. He was also in the United States Marine Corps, so unless you want him to kick your ass, I suggest you leave and stay gone" she said. Robert just laughed but put his hands up in surrender and walked out.

When he was gone, Natalie got embarrassed. "I am sorry. I shouldn't have said that" she apologized immediately. Clarke turned and gave her a genuine smile. "It's no problem. You were just doing what you had to do. I get that. By the way, I am Jeff Clarke. I'm new to Firehouse 51. I just wanted to formally introduce myself and make sure you were okay" he said.

She smiled and shook his hand. "Natalie Casey. Nice to meet you too Clarke. Welcome to 51. I also wanted to thank you for sticking up for me" she replied. He just shrugged it off like it was no big deal. "It's my pleasure" he said.

Natalie couldn't help her curiosity. "Can I ask you something?" she asked. He nodded, "sure" he replied. She nodded and looked up at him. "Not that I am not grateful, but why come see me? You don't even know me. I am just a sister to someone you work with" she wondered.

He nodded in understanding. He knew he was a confusing guy. It was just part of his charm. That's why his wife left him. That is one of the reasons he is now divorced and keeps everything private. Because he hasn't found anyone who can truly understand him.

"Well, I know Lt. Casey and he is a good guy. I have a little sister. I am the purest definition of an overprotective brother. Although my sister has never experienced what you have, I get what Matt is going through. You're his sister, his only family. Anyone with a sister or who values family would get where is coming from. Besides, I have been told you are family at 51 and now that I have joined Squad 3, you are part of my family. And just so you know, I always look out for my family" he said

She smiled and wiped her tears. That was very beautiful and sincere. From what the guys have told her about the newbies, Clarke is very quiet and reserved. He never initiates the conversation and doesn't really like to talk a lot. It meant a lot to her that he was willing to talk to her. That only made her more curious.

As if knowing her thoughts, Clarke smiled, "I am telling you all this because I like you. You are tough and strong. You don't take bull shit from anyone. You stand up for yourself and what you believe in" he replied with a smirk when he noticed her blush.

"Well, thanks boyfriend" she teased.

He let out a little laugh, "no problem girlfriend" he replied causing Natalie to let out a little laugh.

Natalie had to stay overnight, so they could monitor her. Unbeknownst to her, Clarke staid with her. He waited until she was asleep before coming back and sitting at her bedside. He wanted to make sure that Robert didn't come back.

Kelly had called Lydia to make sure she got back okay. "Hey, I just got home. I put Andi down, so I am going to head to bed" she replied. He smiled into the phone. "Good. I just wanted to check on you and make sure you were okay" he said. He didn't tell her about his badge number being on the side of Nattie's building. He didn't want to scare her.

"I am okay. I am just worried about Nattie. She had a real close call today" she replied. She was worried for her friend. She wanted this baby to some out in one piece. "I know but she's okay. Don't worry about anything. Just try and get some sleep" he said. She nodded and said her goodnights before hanging up.

Kelly knew that was really bad advice, knowing that he wasn't going to be sleeping either. Everything with Natalie and the baby was horrifying enough. Now with everything starting with the fires, it was freaking him out. He felt like everything was going out of control.

When he showed up to Natalie's, he saw his badge number painted on the side of the building. At first it just seemed like a normal thing, until he saw his badge number. It was really starting to look like an arson. It was pretty scary.

Not able to sleep, Kelly got up and walked into the common room to join everyone else. There were leftovers from dinner, so he started picking like he always does. A few of the other guys were up to, just hanging around and watching TV. It was a tough call to have. They were really worried about Natalie. No one really knew what to say. Matt had to stay at the firehouse, since McLeod was up their ass.

"Do you guys smell that?" Kelly asked. He had smelled that before. It was the same smell of chemicals that he smelt at Nattie's. "Hey Casey, I need you for a second" he said. They walked around trying to find that smell.

"I think it's coming from outside" Casey informed his friend.

Going outside to investigate, they quickly saw what the smell was coming from and it freaked Kelly out. It was his car. Someone lit his car on fire.

"WHAT THE HELL! IT'S MY CAR" he yelled.

"Oh shit!" Casey replied.

The two ran inside and grabbed all the fire extinguishers they could from the truck. They used the hose and tried to put out the fire. They all knew now knew that Kelly was the target of an arsonist. He was in danger and his family was in the cross hairs.

The boys were up bright and early the next morning. Lydia called the hospital and checked on Natalie. Bobby told her that she was doing great and she was going to be released that afternoon. He also told her that Clarke staid with her all night.

Lydia called the boys and filled them in. She told them that Nattie was doing better. She would be released later that day. They were all really glad she was going to be okay.

"Hey," Kelly nodded when he entered. Casey dropped him off because Kelly didn't want Lydia to have to come and get him. He was carrying an envelope that was in her mailbox. He just moved into Lydia's apartment. They didn't really give it any thought.

"Hi, how was the rest of your shift?" she asked. He dropped off his stuff and shrugged. He came over and wrapped his arm around her waist from behind. He rested his head against her shoulder. Lydia was making breakfast for all of them. "It was alright" he replied.

She smiled and turned to give him a little kiss. "What's that?" she asked noticing the envelope on the table. He shrugged before leaving her to open the envelope. He couldn't help but laugh as he read it over. It was the perfect timing. It was just what he wanted.

"What is it?" she asked as she put the food on the island.

He was really happy because this was what he's been trying to get her to do forever. "You have to move" he said holding her the letter. It was from her landlord. "Your building has been sold. You have thirty days to relocate" he said with a smirk.

She grabbed the letter and huffed. "Are you freaking kidding me? We just moved in. He promised me the apartment for at least a year. It has been 3 months" she vented in a quiet voice because Andi was in the living room in the playpen. "Why would he let me sign the lease last month for another month if he knew he was going to sell the freaking building" she exclaimed.

"Because they weren't selling last month" Kelly offered. "We need to talk about something else anyway." He had to tell her about the arsonist. There was no way he couldn't tell her. "We do?" she asked immediately looking concerned.

The way she looked and got concerned, he knew he couldn't tell her. She looked so mentally exhausted. He couldn't just add onto her worries. He just didn't have the heart to do that to her.

"It's just we just have figure out the house situation. We'll have to start looking for something" he said. She nodded and heard some squeals. She laughed and nodded toward the living room. "I think your daughter is feeling left out" she teased.

He got up and ran into the living room. He picked her up and held her up airplane mode over him over his head. She loved it. She squealed and started laughing. "Daaa" she squealed. He held her airplane mode and ran around the house with her. It was hard not to smile when they were together. They had such a cute daddy/daughter bond it was ridiculous.

After breakfast, he put Andi down for her nap. He came down to see Lydia cleaning up and straightening up. He could tell her was working herself thin. He walked over and wrapped his arms around her. She leaned back against him and just let herself relax.

"I don't want you to worry about everything. It will all be fine. We are together and we are going to figure everything out together. I am going to be here for you and our daughter. We are going to figure things out together. I promise" he said.

She turned to look up at him and smiled. "I love you Kelly Severide"

He smiled and cupped her face to give her a proper kiss. "I love you too Lydia Severide"

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**Thank you all for reading and taking interest! **

**Please Review and Enjoy!**


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